Of all pregnancies, between 1 and 2% are accompanied by preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy, which can progress to a severe form in 1 in 10 cases. This complication can have significant consequences on the health of mother and child in the immediate course of pregnancy and childbirth. And according to a recent study, it might also have a lasting impact on the cognitive functions of pregnant women. Explanations.
Preeclampsia and cognitive functions
Preeclampsia is one of the potentially serious complications of pregnancy. It is characterized by two anomalies:
- A increased blood pressure following the 20th week of amenorrhea (18 weeks of pregnancy) (high blood pressure during pregnancy) ;
- The appearance of protein in urineat a concentration greater than 0.3 grams per 24 hours (proteinuria).
In 70 to 75% of cases, preeclampsia appears from the first pregnancy. Its origin is a dysfunction of the placenta. It can have major consequences on the health of the mother and the child, and in particular require premature onset of childbirth. According to previous studies, preeclampsia is also associated with long-term consequences on cardiac and cardiovascular functions. Recently, researchers have looked into the link between preeclampsia and cognitive functions. Indeed, some women report disabling cognitive problems following preeclampsia.
Can it affect executive cognitive functions?
This new study is part of a large cross-sectional clinical trial called Queen of Hearts, a collaborative study of five reference centers in the Netherlands. Its objective was to determine the impact of preeclampsia on maternal cognitive functions decades following the pregnancy in question.
The study involved 1,036 women (over the age of 18 at the time of the pregnancy studied) who had a pregnancy with preeclampsia and 527 women who had a pregnancy without a rise in blood pressure. The women were followed for a period of 6 months to 30 years following the pregnancy in question. The researchers were particularly interested in executive cognitive functions.
To know ! Executive functions are elaborate cognitive functions, such as strategy, problem solving, logical reasoning, planning or logic.
9 times more likely to suffer cognitive impairment following preeclampsia
The observed results revealed that immediately following childbirth 23.2% of women showed significant impairment of executive functions following pregnancy with preeclampsia, compared to only 2.2% in women without blood pressure disorders during pregnancy. This difference between the cognitive functions of women with and without preeclampsia was reduced over the years, while remaining significant over a period at least 19 years old following giving birth.
Some women were more at risk of loss of cognitive functions, in connection with:
- A low level of education;
- Mood disorders or anxiety disorders (link to sheet: https://www.sante-sur-le-net.com/ Maladies/Psychiatrie/depression-anxiete/);
- Obesity (link to sheet: https://www.sante-sur-le-net.com/ Maladies/metabolisme/obesite/).
On the other hand, the severity of preeclampsia, multiparity (multiple pregnancies), mode of delivery (vaginal delivery or cesarean section) or prematurity did not modify the link between preeclampsia and cognitive functions.
According to this new study, women with preeclampsia have a risk multiplied by 9 to see their executive functions impacted by this complication of pregnancy and this for nearly 20 years. It remains to be seen whether there is a causality link between preeclampsia and cognitive loss and what the mechanisms are.
Estelle B., Doctor of Pharmacy
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