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(Hypertension. 2003;42:39.)
© 2003 American Heart Association, Inc.
Scientific Contributions |
From the University Departments of Pathological Biochemistry (N.S., L.C.) and Obstetrics and Gynaecology (J.R., H.C., I.A.G.), Glasgow Royal Infirmary University NHS Trust, Glasgow, Scotland.
Correspondence to Prof Ian Greer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow G31 2ER UK. E-mail I.A.Greer{at}clinmed.gla.ac.uk
| Abstract |
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Key Words: pregnancy endothelium insulin resistance lipoproteins coronary disease
| Introduction |
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Only one small study examining insulin sensitivity9 has assessed women at a considerable interval (17 years) after a PE pregnancy, perhaps an age when risk factors for CHD might be more relevant. Furthermore, despite the predictive value of endothelial inflammatory markers for vascular disease,10,11 there are limited data available in relation to women with previous PE. The product of these metabolic disruptions is believed to be endothelial dysfunction, and this has been proposed as a mechanism preceding the development of CHD.12,13 Endothelial dysfunction has been demonstrated in vessels from PE women during pregnancy, and recently, Chambers et al14 demonstrated in vivo impaired endothelial function at least 3 months (median, 3 years) postnatally. Our aim in this study, therefore, was to examine whether classic or novel risk factors were elevated in women with a history of PE up to 15 to 25 years after pregnancy. We specifically assessed novel risk factors pathways not only reported to be perturbed in women with PE and considered relevant to its pathogenesis1417 but also linked prospectively to cardiovascular events.10,11,18,19 Thus, in addition to blood pressure and fasting lipoprotein concentrations, we examined circulating concentrations of the cell adhesion molecules, intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cellular adhesion-1 (VCAM-1), and E-selection. In addition, we measured factors more directly linked to fat mass and insulin action, namely, leptin, fasting insulin, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c).
| Methods |
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Venous blood was taken after an overnight fast for analysis of lipids and lipoproteins, by a modification of the standard Lipid Research Clinics Protocol. The intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation for all lipid measures were <3%. Other measures included HbA1c (high-performance liquid chromatography; HA8121 analyzer, Menarini Diagnostics) and insulin (competitive radioimmunoassay; Coat-A-Count I, DPC). Adhesion molecules VCAM-1 (Parameter Human sVCAM-1 Immunoassay, R&D Systems Inc), ICAM-1 (Parameter Human sICAM-1 Immunoassay, R&D Systems Inc), and E-selectin (Parameter Human sE-Selectin Immunoassay, R&D Systems Inc) were also measured. Plasma leptin was measured by an in-house radioimmunoassay validated thoroughly against the commercially available Linco assay, as detailed before.20 The intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation were <7% and <10%, respectively, over the sample concentration range. The detection limit of the assay was 0.5 ng/mL.
Statistical Analyses
Data are expressed as medians, with the interquartile range as the measure of variability. Mann Whitney U tests or, where indicated,
2 tests, were used for comparisons between groups.
| Results |
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There was no difference in fasting lipoprotein concentrations (Table 2). VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 concentrations were significantly higher in the PE group, by 14% and 44%, respectively. Moreover, the case-control difference in ICAM-1 (t=-2.65, P=0.010) but not VCAM-1 concentrations persisted after adjustment for hormonal use/menopausal status, antihypertensive and lipid-lowering therapy, and social class (as determined by validated Deprivation Category [DEPCAT] score). The difference was also present when only premenopausal cases and controls were compared (P=0.007 crude difference; P=0.001 after adjustment for age, body mass index, and smoking). The women with a past history of PE had higher fasting insulin and significantly greater HbA1c concentrations (P=0.004), a difference that also persisted after adjustment for the aforementioned factors (t=-2.60 P=0.012). Smoking influenced ICAM concentration, but the relation with PE persisted on logistic regression (t=-2.15, P=0.035).
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| Discussion |
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20%) higher 20 years from their index pregnancy. In other words, while not pregnant, women with a history of PE might only again demonstrate clear elevations in specific risk factors, such as ICAM-1, as a measure of endothelial cell dysfunction when they become heavier and, as a result, more metabolically stressed. Moreover, given that women with a history of PE had a weight similar to controls at recruitment, one might speculate that the tendency to insulin resistance and elevated ICAM-1 levels in such women might reflect an increased sensitivity to adiposity. Our study included both menopausal and premenopausal women. With respect to ICAM-1, there is uncertainty in the literature about effects of menopause or endogenous estrogen status on ICAM-1 concentrations. For example, whereas Oger et al21 suggested a 24% higher ICAM-1 level in menopausal women compared with premenopausal women of similar age and body mass index, Jasonni and colleagues22 could not detect any change. We have repeated our analyses by additional adjustment for menopausal status and noted that the level of significance in respect of case-control difference in ICAM-1 concentration remained nearly identical (P=0.010). The case-control difference in ICAM-1 was also significant when only premenopausal cases and controls were compared. Thus, although menopause could have been an explanation for the observed case-control ICAM-1differences, it appeared not to be so in our study.
Adhesion molecules are expressed on the surface of vascular endothelial cells in response to inflammatory cytokines and are believed to encourage adhesion of circulating leukocytes and their subsequent transendothelial migration. This process is believed to be critical in the progress of early atherogenesis, and cross-sectional data suggest that soluble forms of these proteins are elevated in patients with atherosclerosis.2325 ICAM-1 in particular has recently been established to be independently predictive for CHD.11 Indeed, from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study,10 those with baseline concentrations of sICAM-1 in the highest quartile, when followed up for 5 years, were found to have a 5-fold increased risk of incident CHD (relative risk, 5.5; 95% confidence interval, 2.5 to 12.2). These data are proposed to support the hypothesis that endothelial activation and damage, or "inflammation," occur early in the atherosclerotic process. The elevation in VCAM-1 is also of interest, as this adhesion molecule is involved in monocyte attachment and transformation to macrophages in the vascular wall.23
Our ICAM-1 case-control difference broadly concurs with the observation by He et al,26 who found an elevation in von Willebrand factor, another marker of endothelial activation, in women who had previous PE. Interestingly, He et al also noted elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels in such women, but only during the luteal phase. We did not measure risk parameters in relation to different phases of the menstrual cycle, principally because a proportion of our cases and controls were postmenopausal.
Women with a past history of PE also had a tendency to higher insulin concentrations, and interestingly, HbA1c concentrations were significantly elevated. These combined findings are suggestive of impaired insulin sensitivity, which has been linked to elevated circulating levels of adhesion molecules.27,28
We also noted in our population that concentrations of soluble VCAM-1, HbA1c, and insulin were correlated with body mass index (data not shown). One might hypothesize, therefore, that a reduction in body mass index, with a consequent reduction in inflammation and improvement in insulin sensitivity, might provide some hope of altering this predisposed risk of cardiovascular disease. Ziccardi and colleagues29 have demonstrated in a group of obese, premenopausal women that weight loss over one year was associated with a reduction in inflammatory cytokine concentrations, a reduction in adhesion molecule concentrations, including ICAM-1, and an improvement in endothelium-dependent vascular function. These latter observations are important, because on the basis of conventional risk factor charts for CHD based on Framingham data,30 only a very small minority of women with a history of PE in our study would be considered for primary prevention with, eg, lipid lowering. Indeed, the average total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio was <4, and only 2 of the 40 women with history of PE were on lipid-lowering therapy. These data therefore suggest that assessment of risk and risk factor status in women with a history of PE should be examined in greater detail.
Perspectives
Our data suggest that the phenotype associated with PE is linked to novel mechanisms that underlie CHD, namely, endothelial inflammation and other subtle features of the metabolic syndrome. Such findings might explain in part the epidemiologic association between PE and CHD. This association might be genetically or phenotypically determined, but it is reasonable to suggest that because women with a history of PE might have an increased sensitivity to adiposity, lifestyle modifications leading to weight loss might ameliorate this underlying cardiovascular disease risk.
Received February 3, 2003; first decision March 3, 2003; accepted April 18, 2003.
| References |
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system activity. Metabolism. 2002; 51: 7578.[CrossRef][Medline]
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