Thicknesses of individual layers of artery wall indicate increased cardiovascular risk in severe pre-eclampsia

• OBJECTIVE: Pre-eclampsia, especially severe pre-eclampsia, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. However, ultrasound assessments of the common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) do not convincingly demonstrate this. The aim of this study was to assess whether the individual thickness of the CCA intima and media layers and calculation of intima/media ratio (I/M) indicate an increased cardiovascular risk in women with previous severe pre-eclampsia.METHODS: The thicknesses of the CCA intima and media layers were obtained by non-invasive high-frequency ultrasound (22 MHz) in 42 women with previous severe pre-eclampsia and 44 women with previous normal pregnancies. A thick intima, thin media and high I/M are signs of a less healthy artery wall.RESULTS: Women with previous severe pre-eclampsia had a thicker CCA intima and a higher I/M than women with previous normal pregnancies, also after adjustment for mean arterial pressure, body mass index and CCA-IMT (all p < 0.0001). CCA-IMT did not differ significantly between the groups. In receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, intima thickness and I/M clearly discriminated between women with and without previous pre-eclampsia (c value about 0.95), whereas CCA-IMT did not (c = 0.52).CONCLUSIONS: Estimation of the individual CCA intima and media layers using high-frequency ultrasound and calculation of the I/M clearly demonstrated the well known increased cardiovascular risk in women with pre-eclampsia, whereas CCA-IMT did not. This method appears preferable to measuring CCA-IMT for imaging arterial effects and the increased cardiovascular risk in women with previous severe pre-eclampsia.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Reproduktionsmedicin och gynekologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Radiologi och bildbehandling (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging (hsv//eng)

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)