Carotid artery elasticity decreases during pregnancy - the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Tomi Laitinen¹  Seppo Heinonen²  Nina Hutri-Kähönen⁷  Mika Kähönen³  Markus Juonala⁴  Olli T Raitakari⁶  Tiina Laitinen¹  Pirjo Valtonen⁵  Heli Saarelainen²  Henna Kärkkäinen² 

[1]Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland

[2]Department of Obst/Gyn, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Eastern Finland, P.O.B. 100FIN-70029 Kuopio, Finland

[3]Department of Clinical Physiology, University of Tampere and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland

[4]Department of Internal Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland

[5]Eastern Finland Laboratory Centre Joint Authority Enterprise (ISLAB), Mikkeli Regional Laboratory, Mikkeli, Finland

[6]Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland

[7]Department of Pediatrics, University of Tampere and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland

关键词: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study;    Arterial stiffness;    Distensibility;    Pregnancy;    Elasticity;    Carotid artery;   

Others  :  1127510
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2393-14-98

 received in 2013-06-20, accepted in 2014-02-21,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

The aims were to evaluate the effect of pregnancy on carotid artery elasticity and determine the associations between maternal lipids, endothelial function and arterial elasticity during pregnancy.

Methods

We examined 99 pregnant and 99 matched non-pregnant control women as part of a population-based prospective cohort study. Carotid artery elasticity indexes; carotid artery distensibility (CAD), Young’s elastic modulus (YEM) and stiffness index (SI) as well as brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) were assessed using ultrasound; serum lipid levels were also determined.

Results

SI was 57% and YEM 75% higher and CAD 36% lower in the third trimester group than the corresponding values in the first trimester group. Serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels were significantly higher in women at the end of the pregnancy than at the beginning of pregnancy (P < 0.001) and in controls (P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, gestational age was the only independent correlate of arterial elasticity in pregnant women. In controls, age (P ≤ 0.001) and common carotid diameter (P = 0.001-0.029) were associated with SI, YEM and CAD.

Conclusions

The present study revealed that carotid artery elasticity declined towards the end of the pregnancy; this neither is straight correlating with maternal hyperlipidemia or the diameter of the carotid artery nor is it associated with changes in endothelial function.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Kärkkäinen et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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