Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Increase Stroke Risk at an Earlier Age

TUESDAY, May 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Women who experience an adverse pregnancy outcome (APO) have a higher risk of having a stroke in their lifetime, and at a younger age, according to a study published online May 22 in Stroke.

Eliza C. Miller, M.D., from Columbia University in New York City, and colleagues assessed whether APOs are associated with younger age at first stroke. Analysis included 144,306 Finnish women (316,789 births) who gave birth after 1969, with 17.9 percent having at least one pregnancy with an APO.

The researchers found that women with APOs had more comorbidities, including obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and migraine. APO was associated with lower age at first stroke, with median age at first stroke of 58.3 years for patients with no APO, versus 54.8 years in those with one APO and 51.6 years in those with recurrent APOs. Risk of stroke was greater in women with one APO (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.3) and recurrent APOs (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.4) versus those with no APO when adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and stroke risk factors. Compared to those without APO, women with recurrent APOs had doubled the stroke risk before age 45 (adjusted odds ratio, 2.1).

"This emphasizes the need for women to share their pregnancy history with their doctors, especially if they experience neurologic symptoms concerning for stroke or transient ischemic attack that tends to resolve within minutes to hours," a author said in a statement.

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