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Women who experience pre-eclampsia during pregnancy have more heart attacks, strokes and blood clots later in life than women without the condition, according to several studies, the New York Times reports … Researchers do not know what causes the condition, which is marked by high blood pressure, protein in the urine, severe swelling, headaches and vision problems. Although pre-eclampsia usually disappears soon after delivery, a “growing body of evidence” indicates that women who develop pre-eclampsia have twice the risk of having a heart attack or stroke later in life, the Times reports.
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According to the Times, most researchers do not believe that pre-eclampsia directly increases the risk of heart disease. Smith said that it seems more likely that the condition is an early indicator of the health of a woman’s heart … Williams now advises women with pre-eclampsia to have frequent screenings for cholesterol levels, blood sugar and blood pressure, and to seek treatment if the levels are high.
- This seems similar to gestational diabetes, which, rather than being a disease in its own right, is more a marker for the development of later-onset type 2 diabates.