Pregnancy High Blood Pressure Linked to Dementia Decades Later

A study published in the British Medical Journal found pregnant women who develop preeclampsia more than triple their risk of developing dementia later in life than women who do not, reports Reuters . The researchers analyzed the records of 1,178,005 women in Denmark, and found the highest elevated risk for women with a history of preeclampsia was for developing vascular dementia. Even after adjusting for other factors that could influence dementia risk, such as heart disease and diabetes, the risk for late-onset vascular dementia was 6.5 times higher among women with a history of preeclampsia. Women with a preeclampsia history had about two times the risk of early-onset dementia compared to those with no history. They also had a 50 percent higher risk of developing Alzheimer's and a 40 percent higher risk of other, nonspecific dementias. In addition, the researchers determined women who develop preeclampsia are also at an increased risk of later heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Heather Boyd of Statens Serum Insitut in Copenhagen advises women who have had severe preeclampsia, especially early-onset preeclampsia or preeclampsia with vascular complications, to at least undergo regular follow-up by their internists.