Previous hypertensive disease of pregnancy is associated with alterations of markers of insulin resistance

Insulin resistance syndrome has been observed in women with hypertensive disease of pregnancy, but few studies evaluated the presence of the syndrome a few years after delivery. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of insulin resistance and its metabolic alterations in these women compared with those who had a normal pregnancy. We performed an observational study in 168 women with previous hypertensive disease of pregnancy and 168 control subjects with normal pregnancy contacted, on average, 7.8 years after their first delivery ( mean age: 34.8 years). Complete blood lipid profile, insulin, glucose, homocysteine, adipokins, and markers of inflammation were measured. Also, an oral glucose tolerance test was performed in 146 case and 135 control subjects. Case subjects were more overweight compared with control subjects. We found significantly lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and adiponectin levels and higher apolipoprotein (apo) apoB/apoA1 ratio, homocysteine, leptin, and insulin levels among case subjects compared with control subjects ( P <= 0.004). Also, case subjects were more insulin resistant in the basal state estimated by homeostasis assessment model 2, as well as in the nonbasal state as estimated by insulin sensitivity indices calculated from the oral glucose tolerance test. Finally, in a multivariate regression model, leptin, apoB/apoA1 ratio, waist circumference, adiponectin, and free fatty acids explained 40% of homeostasis assessment model 2 variance. Young women with previous hypertensive disease of pregnancy show signs of insulin resistance within the first decade after delivery. These findings suggest that insulin resistance may be the link between hypertensive disease of pregnancy and increased cardiovascular risk later in life.