Abstract

Is preeclampsia a new cardiovascular and end-stage renal diseases risk marker? Preeclampsia is a major obstetrical problem leading to high maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is characterized by hypertension and proteinuria occurring after 20 weeks of gestation. Increasing evidence indicates that preeclampsia is not just a pregnancy disease that resolves at the time of delivery, but represent a risk marker of cardiovascular and end-stage renal diseases later in life. The underlying link between preeclampsia and cardiovascular disease is unclear. Women with early onset/severe preeclampsia, recurrent preeclampsia, or preeclampsia with onset as a multipara appear to be at highest risk of cardiovascular disease later in life, including during the premenopausal period.