Women with 4 or More Children have Increased Risk of Heart Disease: Study
Giving birth to four or more children can up the risk of heart diseases in women, according to a study.
Past researches have shown that pregnancy and its complications can cause heart problems in women during later years. Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found that giving birth to four of more children leads to plaque formation and hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis, which by obstructing blood flow can cause heart attacks.
Monika Sanghavi, study author and chief cardiology fellow at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said in a news release, "This is not a recommendation for women to only have two or three children. Our findings add to the growing body of evidence that the changes associated with pregnancy may provide insight into a woman's future cardiovascular risk and deserves further attention."
The experts looked at the data on number of pregnancies and risk factors for heart problems in 1,644 women aged 45 and above from various ethnic groups who took part in the Dallas Heart study. The researchers created a coronary artery calcium (CAC) score to evaluate the thickness of the artery walls that are indicative of subclinical atherosclerosis in all participants. The study also considered other variables like socioeconomic status, BMI, blood pressure and age of the subjects.
They noted women whose CAC scores exceeded 10 and the thickness of arteries measured more than 75th percentile for age and gender were most likely to develop cardiovascular diseases. The researchers compared these scores among women with two or three births and those with four of more children.
It was found that women who had more than four pregnancies had two-fold increased chances for above the normal range of CAC and arterial thickness scores.
The findings also revealed that women who never gave birth or had only one child are also susceptible to subclinical atherosclerosis.
Pregnancy can add stress to a woman's heart, their bodies undergo changes like having 50 percent increase in blood volume, high cholesterol levels and insulin resistance leaving them vulnerable to heart diseases.
Sanghavi said, "Pregnancy has been called 'nature's stress test,' and for good reason. It may also help identify women who are at increased risk, even though right now they may not have any risk factors."
The authors believe the study helps understand the nature of heart diseases by identifying possible cause and early prevention and treatment strategies. They add further investigation is needed to establish the connection between the occurrence of heart diseases and number of pregnancies.
The research was presented at the 63rd Annual Scientific Session at the American College of Cardiology.
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