Despite being a physiological condition, human pregnancy is known to cause numerous complications that can endanger the life of the mother and the fetus alike. While the majority of complications are mostly limited within the peripartum period, more and more information is available about persistently higher short- and long-term cardiovascular risk after a pregnancy complicated by a hypertensive disorder. There is evidence that women after gestational hypertension or preeclampsia are more likely to develop arterial hypertension, coronary atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral artery disease, and even diabetes mellitus and venous thromboembolism years after the target pregnancy. This has urged some authors to view hypertensive disorders of pregnancy as a “stress test” for the maternal organism that unmasks latent endothelial dysfunction. An explanation is sought in the presence of common risk factors and underlying pathological pathways with cardiovascular diseases, although a certain etiological mechanism for the development of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy has not been established yet. More attention is needed towards the follow-up of women after a hypertensive pregnancy as it could be an opportunity for early prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are one of the leading causes of fetal and maternal mortality worldwide. Aside from the immediate risk they pose for the pregnant woman, there is significant evidence that women after such a pregnancy have a long-term risk for the development of cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, Galectin-3 is a biomarker that has proven its role in cardiac remodeling, fibrosis, and heart failure. To determine the levels of Galectin-3 in women with gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and in healthy pregnant women and test for association with premature birth. A prospective single-center clinical, epidemiological study was performed, and data were analyzed for 123 pregnant women-36 with gestational hypertension, 37 with preeclampsia, and 50 controls. ELISA method was used to determine the serum levels of Galectin-3. Mean Galectin-3 level was 6,53 ng/ml in the controls, 7.30 ng/ml in the gestational hypertension group, and 7,59 ng/ml in the preeclampsia group. There was a significant difference in the levels between the controls and each of the pathological groups (P<0,05), while the two pathological groups were not statistically different from each other. Additionally, higher Galectin-3 levels were associated with an OR~2.5 for even preterm birth after adjustment for the presence of the two hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Gestational hypertension and preeclampsia were associated with significantly higher levels of Galectin-3, which could be indicative of cardiovascular dysfunction in those women, and were also related to premature birth.
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