Prediction of cardiovascular risk by electrocardiographic changes in women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

Objective: We aimed to investigate P wave characteristics in pregnant women with and without intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). Methods: In this case-control study, including 59 pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis and 28 with healthy uncomplicated pregnancies, electrocardiographic maximum (P-max) and minimum (P-min) P-wave durations and P-wave dispersion (Pd) parameters were investigated. Results: While Pmin and Pd values were significantly lower in women both with mild and severe ICP when compared to healthy pregnant women (p<0.001), there was no significant difference between mild and severe disease groups. Conclusion: Intrahepatic cholestasis predisposes to cardiovascular complications. P-wave durations and Pd constitute a recent contribution to the field of noninvasive electrocardiology. Our data clearly demonstrated that these parameters were significantly altered in pregnant women with ICP when compared to the normal ones. This important association can be used to screen for women with an increased risk to better target counseling on lifestyle modifications and to closer follow-up and management of women with a history of ICP.