Can Pre-Pregnancy Cardiometabolic Biomarkers Predict Preeclampsia?
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, such as high blood pressure during pregnancy, are a major cause of illness and death for mothers. It is important to find women who are at risk as early as possible. One way to do this is to look at certain health markers, often referred to as cardiometabolic biomarkers, in the blood before pregnancy, such as cholesterol, blood sugar, and signs of inflammation.
This study looked at women in Sweden who had blood tests done before their first pregnancy. The researchers followed 35,189 women and found that 1,938 of them (about 5.5%) developed hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Women who had signs of poor heart and metabolic health before pregnancy were more likely to develop hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. In these higher-risk groups, between 5.5% and 12.8% developed hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, compared to about 4.1% to 5.3% in lower-risk groups.
The study found that higher levels of certain blood markers, like cholesterol, triglycerides, and specific proteins, were linked to a greater risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Even levels that were not high enough to be considered a medical problem still showed increased risk. However, some markers, like C-reactive protein and white blood cell counts, were not linked to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
Take Home Message: Overall, this study shows that checking heart and metabolic health before or early in pregnancy may help doctors identify women who are more likely to develop hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. This could provide earlier care if needed. More research is needed in Sweden and the U.S. to explore this further. If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, talk to your doctor about having your heart and metabolic health checked to better understand your risk.
Citation: Qvick A, Sandström A, Norhammar A, Vikström M, Spetz Holm AC, Hultgren R, Hammar N, Leander K. Pregestational Cardiometabolic Biomarkers and Future Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy. JAMA Netw Open. 2026 Apr 1;9(4):e2610037. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.10037. PMID: 42060300; PMCID: PMC13133693. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42060300/
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