Women whose babies are born with congenital heart defects may have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease themselves, according to a study of more than one million women published online April 2 in Circulation.
Lead study author Nathalie Auger, MD, and colleagues analyzed data on women who delivered infants between 1989 and 2013 in Quebec, Canada. After following them for up to 25 years, the researchers noted women whose children had critical heart defects had a 43 percent higher risk of being hospitalized for CVD than mothers of infants without heart defects.
Mothers of babies with noncritical defects showed a 24 percent greater risk of cardiovascular hospitalization compared to women whose children had no defects. These percentages were adjusted for comorbidities, age at first delivery, the period of childbirth and preeclampsia, among other factors.
“Associations were stronger for critical defects such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, but the majority of noncritical heart defects were also associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular hospitalization,” the authors wrote. “Thus, having an infant with a congenital heart defect may represent a novel risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease. Women who have a newborn with a heart defect may therefore benefit from early primary prevention and counseling to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease."
The researchers were unable to identify the link between congenital heart disease and the manifestation of CVD in the mother, but said genetic factors could play a role along with caregiver burden. Because 85 percent of congenital heart patients now live past adolescence, the authors noted a mother’s stress could have a cumulative effect over time.
“Caring for infants with critical heart defects is associated with psychosocial and financial stress, which may increase the mothers’ long-term risk for cardiovascular disease,” Auger said in a press release.
Auger and colleagues pointed out their follow-up did not extend past menopause for many of the women they studied, therefore excluding a time of life when CVD risk may be highest. They hypothesized longer follow-up might actually strengthen their findings and show a higher incidence of late-onset CVD among mothers of children with heart defects.
Another limitation of the study was the lack of information about mothers’ risk factors, including smoking status, ethnicity and body weight.
Daniel joined TriMed’s Chicago editorial team in 2017 as a Cardiovascular Business writer. He previously worked as a writer for daily newspapers in North Dakota and Indiana.