Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Appear Not to Be Associated with Alzheimer's Disease Later in Life

Abstract

Background: After hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, more subjective cognitive complaints and white matter lesions are reported compared to women after normal pregnancies. Both have a causal relationship with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aim: To investigate if women whose pregnancy was complicated by hypertensive disorders have an increased risk of AD. Methods: A case-control study in women with AD from the Alzheimer Center of the VU University Medical Center Amsterdam and women without AD. Paper and telephone surveys were performed. Results: The response rate was 85.2%. No relation between women with (n = 104) and without AD (n = 129) reporting pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders (p = 0.11) was found. Women with early-onset AD reported hypertensive disorders of pregnancy more often (p = 0.02) compared to women with late-onset AD. Conclusion: A reported history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy appears not to be associated with AD later in life.