ABSTRACT
Background: Recently, epidemiologic studies have suggested an association between pregnancy complications and the development of coronary artery disease later in life. The current study investigate the relation between obstructive coronary versus normal coronary angiographies and the prevalence of complications during pregnancy including preeclampsia, pregnancy induced-hypertension, low birth weight, and preterm birth. Methods: All consecutive women aged <55 year, who had coronary angiography were included. Based on angiography outcome, patients were classified as normal (controls: no stenosis, wall irregularity without stenosis, or minimal calcification present) or abnormal (subjects). A standard questionnaire was sent to all participating women. The questionnaires inquired into risk factors for coronary vascular disease, in particular history of hypertensive diseases, and specific obstetric history. The results were analyzed using the unpaired t-test, the Chi-squared test, and Pearson’s correlation coefficients as appropriate. A significance level of P < 0.05 was used. Results: Of the 211 consecutive women aged <55 year, 62% (n = 131) had normal coronary angiography and 38% (n = 80) abnormal coronary angiography. We found no differences of reported pregnancy complications including preeclampsia, hypertension, low birth weight, and preterm birth (combined RR = 0.70, 95% C.I. = 0.38 - 1.3) in case of abnormal coronary angiography compared to women with normal coronary angiography. The traditional risk factors hypercholesterolemia, tobacco use, and diabetes were identified as the major risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease, with a relative risk ranging from 4.2 - 1.8. Conclusion: These data suggest that pregnancy complications are not an important denominator for cardiovascular disease.