Women who experience diabetes during pregnancy could be at risk of early heart disease down the road.
These findings held true even if the woman experienced gestational diabetes without developing type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome after giving birth, a Kaiser Permanente news release reported.
"Our research shows that just having a history of gestational diabetes elevates a woman's risk of developing early atherosclerosis before she develops type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome," Erica P. Gunderson, PhD, MPH, study lead author and senior research scientist in the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif, said in the news release. "Pregnancy has been under-recognized as an important time period that can signal a woman's greater risk for future heart disease. This signal is revealed by gestational diabetes."
Gestational diabetes is caused by a spike in blood sugar during pregnancy, but usually subsides after the baby is born.
Researchers conducted a 20-year study that looked at 898 women between the ages of 18 and 30. The women were tested for metabolic conditions and diabetes both before and after pregnancy. The team also measured the thickness of the participants' carotid artery, which moves blood to the neck and face; this allowed the medical researchers to assess the amount of plaque buildup in the arteries. Clogged arteries can lead to heart attack or other cardiovascular problems. This measurement was taken about 12 years after pregnancy.
The team found those who had experienced gestational diabetes without developing other complications had a thicker carotid artery wall than those who had never suffered from the condition. Other risk factors for heart conditions were factored into the study.
"It's a shift in thinking about how to identify a subgroup at risk for atherosclerosis early. The concept that reproductive complications unmask future disease risk is a more recent focus. It may inform early prevention efforts," Gunderson said.
