Maternal cardiovascular adaptation to pregnancy in obese pregnant women

• Published in: Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica 2024-05, Vol.103 (5), p.907-916
• Main Authors: Patel, Deesha, Avesani, Martina, Johnson, Mark R., Di Salvo, Giovanni, Savvidou, Makrina D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Body mass index; cardiovascular function; Geometry; hemodynamic function; Hemodynamics; Longitudinal studies; Obesity; Original; preeclampsia; Pregnancy; pregnancy physiology
• ISSN: 0001-6349; 1600-0412
• DOI: 10.1111/aogs.14777

Introduction Obesity is known to be associated with cardiovascular compromise and a major risk factor for the development of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. However, little is known about the effect of obesity on maternal cardiac function. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of obesity on the maternal cardiovascular system. Material and methods This was a prospective, observational, longitudinal study. Pregnant women with booking body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 were compared with pregnant women with normal booking BMI 20–24.9 kg/m2. Participants were seen at three time points during pregnancy; 12–14, 20–24 and 30–32 weeks. At all visits, maternal blood pressure (BP) was measured, and cardiac geometry and function were assessed using two‐dimensional trans‐thoracic echocardiography. Multilevel linear mixed‐effects models were used for all the comparisons. Results Fifty‐nine pregnant women with obesity were compared with 14 pregnant women with normal BMI. In women with obesity, the maternal BP, heart rate and cardiac output were higher and peripheral vascular resistance was lower (p