Posted on 03/02/2023 7:36:04 PM PST by ConservativeMind
High blood pressure disorders during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of thinking problems later in life, according to a study. Researchers found that those with these disorders had a higher risk of cognitive problems in later life than those who did not have high blood pressure during pregnancy.
They also found that those with preeclampsia, which is high blood pressure that develops halfway through pregnancy and usually involves the kidneys and other organs, may have an even greater risk of cognitive decline later in life, compared to those with gestational high blood pressure, a condition with high blood pressure in pregnancy but without affecting kidneys or other organs.
After adjusting, the average composite score of all memory and thinking tests of participants with any type of high blood pressure disorder had a decline of 0.3 points compared to those who did not have high blood pressure during pregnancy with a decline of 0.05 points. When looking at different types of high blood pressure disorders, those with preeclampsia had a decline of 0.04 points compared to those with other blood pressure disorders and those with no blood pressure disorders, which both had a decline of 0.05.
After adjusting, those with high blood pressure in pregnancy declined 0.4 standard deviation over five years on tests of executive function and attention, compared to those who had normal blood pressure for all pregnancies and declined only 0.1 standard deviation. These results were more pronounced for those who had preeclampsia, with a 0.5 standard deviation decrease on tests of executive function and attention compared to a 0.1 decrease for those who had normal blood pressure for all pregnancies.
"These results suggest that managing and monitoring blood pressure during and after pregnancy is an important factor for brain health later in life," Mielke said.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
It sneaks up on you and often you can’t feel it.
It’s really important to stay on too of blood pressure during pregnancy.
I’d imagine that you mean that its important to stay on top of blood pressure and make sure to lower it with pills or some such —if it rises too high during pregnancy.
Correct. We need to take it at various times to know, unfortunately.
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