Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Risk of Future Cardiovascular Disease in Women.

Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of mortality in women globally. In addition to traditional risk factors, some sex-specific conditions increase the burden of cardiovascular disease in women. With this literature review, we aimed to review evidence on associations between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and risk of cardiovascular disease in later life. After a database search and application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 11 studies were included in the review. Our findings suggest that a history of preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, or elevated systolic blood pressure alone during pregnancy is consistently associated with increased risk of developing and dying from myocardial infarction, heart failure, hypertension, and/or stroke in later life. Nurses and other health care providers should be aware of the cardiovascular risk associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and engage women at risk in discussions about health promotion strategies and interventions to address modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors.