Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Lifestyle in progression from hypertensive disorders of pregnancy to chronic hypertension in Nurses' Health Study II : Observational cohort study

Timpka, Simon LU orcid ; Stuart, Jennifer J. ; Tanz, Lauren J. ; Rimm, Eric B. ; Franks, Paul W. LU and Rich-Edwards, Janet W. (2017) In British Medical Journal 358.
Abstract

Objectives To study the association between lifestyle risk factors and chronic hypertension by history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP: gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia) and investigate the extent to which these risk factors modify the association between HDP and chronic hypertension. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Nurses' Health Study II (1991-2013). Participants 54 588 parous women aged 32 to 59 years with data on reproductive history and without previous chronic hypertension, stroke, or myocardial infarction. Main outcome measure Chronic hypertension diagnosed by a physician and indicated through nurse participant self report. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the... (More)

Objectives To study the association between lifestyle risk factors and chronic hypertension by history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP: gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia) and investigate the extent to which these risk factors modify the association between HDP and chronic hypertension. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Nurses' Health Study II (1991-2013). Participants 54 588 parous women aged 32 to 59 years with data on reproductive history and without previous chronic hypertension, stroke, or myocardial infarction. Main outcome measure Chronic hypertension diagnosed by a physician and indicated through nurse participant self report. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the development of chronic hypertension contingent on history of HDP and four lifestyle risk factors: post-pregnancy body mass index, physical activity, adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, and dietary sodium/potassium intake. Potential effect modification (interaction) between each lifestyle factor and previous HDP was evaluated with the relative excess risk due to interaction. Results 10% (n=5520) of women had a history of HDP at baseline. 13 971 cases of chronic hypertension occurred during 689 988 person years of follow-up. Being overweight or obese was the only lifestyle factor consistently associated with higher risk of chronic hypertension. Higher body mass index, in particular, also increased the risk of chronic hypertension associated with history of HDP (relative excess risk due to interaction P<0.01 for all age strata). For example, in women aged 40-49 years with previous HDP and obesity class I (body mass index 30.0-34.9), 25% (95% confidence interval 12% to 37%) of the risk of chronic hypertension was attributable to a potential effect of obesity that was specific to women with previous HDP. There was no clear evidence of effect modification by physical activity, DASH diet, or sodium/potassium intake on the association between HDP and chronic hypertension. Conclusion This study suggests that the risk of chronic hypertension after HDP might be markedly reduced by adherence to a beneficial lifestyle. Compared with women without a history of HDP, keeping a healthy weight seems to be especially important with such a history.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
British Medical Journal
volume
358
article number
j3024
publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:85024120898
  • wos:000405770400002
  • pmid:28701338
ISSN
0959-8146
DOI
10.1136/bmj.j3024
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
1fc72bc2-3c69-44ac-b67f-2e669635f0fd
date added to LUP
2017-08-22 11:23:24
date last changed
2024-06-25 02:29:19
@article{1fc72bc2-3c69-44ac-b67f-2e669635f0fd,
  abstract     = {{<p>Objectives To study the association between lifestyle risk factors and chronic hypertension by history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP: gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia) and investigate the extent to which these risk factors modify the association between HDP and chronic hypertension. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Nurses' Health Study II (1991-2013). Participants 54 588 parous women aged 32 to 59 years with data on reproductive history and without previous chronic hypertension, stroke, or myocardial infarction. Main outcome measure Chronic hypertension diagnosed by a physician and indicated through nurse participant self report. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the development of chronic hypertension contingent on history of HDP and four lifestyle risk factors: post-pregnancy body mass index, physical activity, adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, and dietary sodium/potassium intake. Potential effect modification (interaction) between each lifestyle factor and previous HDP was evaluated with the relative excess risk due to interaction. Results 10% (n=5520) of women had a history of HDP at baseline. 13 971 cases of chronic hypertension occurred during 689 988 person years of follow-up. Being overweight or obese was the only lifestyle factor consistently associated with higher risk of chronic hypertension. Higher body mass index, in particular, also increased the risk of chronic hypertension associated with history of HDP (relative excess risk due to interaction P&lt;0.01 for all age strata). For example, in women aged 40-49 years with previous HDP and obesity class I (body mass index 30.0-34.9), 25% (95% confidence interval 12% to 37%) of the risk of chronic hypertension was attributable to a potential effect of obesity that was specific to women with previous HDP. There was no clear evidence of effect modification by physical activity, DASH diet, or sodium/potassium intake on the association between HDP and chronic hypertension. Conclusion This study suggests that the risk of chronic hypertension after HDP might be markedly reduced by adherence to a beneficial lifestyle. Compared with women without a history of HDP, keeping a healthy weight seems to be especially important with such a history.</p>}},
  author       = {{Timpka, Simon and Stuart, Jennifer J. and Tanz, Lauren J. and Rimm, Eric B. and Franks, Paul W. and Rich-Edwards, Janet W.}},
  issn         = {{0959-8146}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{BMJ Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{British Medical Journal}},
  title        = {{Lifestyle in progression from hypertensive disorders of pregnancy to chronic hypertension in Nurses' Health Study II : Observational cohort study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j3024}},
  doi          = {{10.1136/bmj.j3024}},
  volume       = {{358}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}