SOMANZ Oral Presentation Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society and Society of Obstetric Medicine Australia and New Zealand Joint Scientific Meeting 2025

Measures of Cardiovascular Function 6 and 12 Months After Hypertensive Pregnancy: A BP2 Study (128026)

Nadia Birch 1 , Clare Arnott 2 3 , Lynne Roberts 4 5 , Amanda Henry 2 5 6
  1. UNSW Medicine and Health, Sydney
  2. The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney
  3. Department of Cardiology , Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney
  4. St George and Sutherland Clinical Campus, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine and Health, Sydney
  5. Department of Women's and Childrens Health, St George Hospital, Sydney
  6. UNSW Medicine and Health; Discipline of Women's Health, School of Clinical Medicine, Sydney

Background/Aim: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) affect 5-10% of pregnancies and are independently associated with at least a 2-fold increase in future maternal cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.  Various non-invasive measures of vascular structure and function may demonstrate subclinical CVD. This study aimed to evaluate cardiovascular function in women in the first 12 months after HDP, and how this may be impacted by lifestyle interventions.

Methods: Sub-study of BP2 – a 3-armed randomised trial examining impacts of 2 lifestyle interventions versus control on post-HDP cardiovascular risks. Women attended 6- and 12-months postpartum visits for primary BP2 measures (office blood pressure, weight and waist circumference). This sub-study focusses on participants with additional vascular testing in the combined intervention groups (n=8-95): Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT), Brachial Fow Mediated Dilation (FMD), Reactive Hyperaemia Index (RHI) and Applanation Tonometry (AT).

Results: There was a reduction in mean central systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) from 6-12 months-postpartum in the interventions group (113/80mmHg to 108/77mmHg, p=0.01). CIMT, FMD, RHI and Pulse Wave Velocity were unchanged. Central SBP and DBP were positively correlated with waist circumference at 6 months (r=0.3, p=0.01 and r=0.3, p=0.03), and central DBP was positively correlated with weight/waist circumference at 12 months

Conclusions: Central BP decreased within the intervention groups; however, interpretation is limited by lack of control group six-months-postpartum data. Central BP was correlated with traditional markers of CVD risk at 6- and 12-months post-partum. Further studies with larger sample sizes are indicated.