HypertensionCross-sectional study
Female- and age-specific reference values for blood pressure and its relationship with cardiac aberrations after pre-eclampsia
- Cross-sectional study
Authors' conclusion
For relatively young women, female-specific thresholds for hypertension are lower than ESC/ESH guidelines (≥133/81 vs. ≥140/90 mmHg), and associate with cardiac dysfunction in formerly pre-eclamptic women.
Study context
- Population
- Former pregnant women: normotensive pregnancy (reference) or pre-eclampsia
- Participants
- 463 vs 951
- Exposure
- SBP ≥132.8 but <140 mmHg vs lower blood pressure (BP) among former pre-eclamptic women
- Healthy referencen = 463reference
- Formerly pre-eclampticn = 951
- Outcome
- Female- and age-specific hypertension thresholds (≥95th percentile) and association of elevated BP with subclinical cardiac aberrations
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Female-specific hypertension thresholds
Systolic threshold
132.8 mmHg
Diastolic threshold
81.0 mmHg
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | OR | |
|---|---|---|
| Subclinical cardiac aberrations in former pre-eclamptic women with systolic BP ≥132.8 but <140 mmHg — systolic BP levels above ≥132.8 mmHg vs Healthy reference · LV concentric remodelling | 2.1 (95% CI 1.1–4.2) | |
| Subclinical cardiac aberrations in former pre-eclamptic women with systolic BP ≥132.8 but <140 mmHg — systolic BP levels above ≥132.8 mmHg vs Healthy reference · diastolic dysfunction | 4.5 (CI 1.4–14.2) | |
| Subclinical cardiac aberrations in former pre-eclamptic women with systolic BP ≥132.8 but <140 mmHg — systolic BP levels above ≥132.8 mmHg vs Healthy reference · subclinical HF | 2.3 (95% CI 1.2–4.2) | |
| 0.050.21520Odds ratio (log scale) |
- Subclinical cardiac aberrations in former pre-eclamptic women with systolic BP ≥132.8 but <140 mmHg: below current diagnostic threshold for hypertension (<140 mmHg)
Original publication
Female- and age-specific reference values for blood pressure and its relationship with cardiac aberrations after pre-eclampsia. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 15 July 2025. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf434
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it