Cardiovascular and renal health: Preeclampsia as a risk marker

Cardiovascular (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in women have unique risk factors related to hormonal status and obstetric history that must be taken into account. Pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia (PE), can reveal a subclinical predisposition for the development of future disease that may help identify women who could benefit from early CVD and CKD prevention strategies.

Review of PE and its association with future development of CVD and CKD.

Multiple studies have established an association between PE and the development of ischemic heart disease, chronic hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, stroke and CKD. It has not been sufficiently clarified if this relation is a causal one or if it is mediated by common risk factors. Nevertheless, the presence of endothelial dysfunction and thrombotic microangiopathy during pregnancies complicated with PE makes us believe that PE may leave a long-term imprint. Early identification of women who have had a pregnancy complicated by PE becomes a window of opportunity to improve women's health through adequate follow-up and targeted preventive actions. Oxidative stress biomarkers and vascular ultrasound may play a key role in the early detection of this arterial damage.

The implementation of preventive multidisciplinary targeted strategies can help slow down CVD and CKD's natural history in women at risk through lifestyle modifications and adequate blood pressure control. Therefore, we propose a series of recommendations to guide the prediction and prevention of CVD and CKD throughout life of women with a history of PE.