A recent history of preeclampsia is associated with elevated central pulse wave velocity and muscle sympathetic outflow.

A recent history of preeclampsia is associated with elevated central pulse wave velocity and muscle sympathetic outflow. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2020 Jan 31;: Authors: Usselman CW, Adler TE, Coovadia Y, Leone C, Paidas MJ, Stachenfeld NS Abstract Preeclampsia is associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases later in life. To investigate this phenomenon, we compared established markers of cardiovascular dysregulation between previously preeclamptic women (PPE; n=12; 13±6 months postpartum; 34±6 y) and women who had previously had an uncomplicated pregnancy (CTRL; n=12; 15±4 months postpartum; 29±3 y). We hypothesized that PPE would present with elevated arterial stiffness (assessed as central and peripheral pulse wave velocity) and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA; microneurography), and blunted baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) relative to CTRL. Blood pressure (Finometer) was similar between PPE and CTRL (mean arterial pressure: 94±11 vs 89±9; P=0.16). Central (6.92±0.21 vs 6.24±0.22 m/s; P=0.04) but not peripheral arterial stiffness (7.52±0.19 vs 7.09±0.19 m/s; P=0.13) was elevated in PPE versus CTRL (values normalized to MAP). MSNA was also elevated in PPE versus CTRL (22±7 vs 13±5 bursts/min; P=0.01), although this was independent of arterial stiffness (central: r2=0.01, P=0.74; peripheral: r2=0.01, P=0.74). Cardiovagal BRS was blunted in PPE versus CTRL (15±5 vs 28±1 ms/mmHg, P=0.01), while s...
Source: American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology - Category: Physiology Authors: Tags: Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol Source Type: research