SP269BLOOD TESTS DURING PREGNANCYTHAT MAY PREDICT LONG-TERM CARDIOVASCULAR MORBIDITY

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Pregnancy-related complications such as gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia pose a risk for future maternal atherosclerotic morbidity. This study was aimed to demonstrate whether an association exists between five types of blood tests (creatinine, urea, uric acid, glucose, and potassium) during pregnancy and the risk for future maternal cardiovascular morbidity.
METHODS: The study population included women who gave birth at the Soroka University Medical Center (SUMC) between the years 2000-2013. This population included women who were subsequently hospitalized due to atherosclerotic morbidity during the study period and age-matched controls. Only women for whom at least one test result was available for all five test types- potassium, uric acid, creatinine, urea, and glucose during their pregnancies were included. The follow-up period was until either hospitalization or the end of study period. Cox regression was performed in order to demonstrate the relationship between cardiovascular hospitalization and upper quartile blood test values during pregnancy.

RESULTS: The final analysis included 4115 women who met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 212 were defined as the hospitalized group (cases), and 3903 women served as the non-hospitalized group (controls). In a Cox regression model the values in the upper quartile of potassium (HR =1.48 CI 1.09-2.01 p=0.013), creatinine (HR=1.86 CI 1.37-2.53 P<0.001) and urea (HR=1.60 CI 1.17-2.19 P=0.003) measured during pregnancy were associated with an increased risk for hospitalization due to cardiovascular and atherosclerotic morbidity. Women who had two blood tests in upper quartile during pregnancy had a risk of 1.65 (CI 1.06-2.56 P=0.026) to have future cardiovascular hospitalization. Women who had three or more blood tests in upper quartile during pregnancy had a considerable risk of 3.32 (CI 2.19-5.04 p<0.001) for cardiovascular hospitalization.
CONCLUSIONS: Routine blood tests during pregnancy can predict future cardiovascular morbidity among women with no overt clinical gestational complications.