Role of Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia as Risk Factors for Formation of Vascular Disorders of Retina in Remote Period after Delivery

Purpose. To study the correlation between pregnancy, complicated by preeclampsia and gestational hypertension (GH), and formation of retinal vascular and optic nerve disorders in the late postpartum period.

Patients and methods. 231 women with different previous pregnancy variants of pathology. Exclusion criteria — presence of systemic endocrine, autoimmune, rheumatic pathology before pregnancy; bad habits. Four groups were formed. 1st main group: pregnancy with GH. 2nd main group: pregnancy with preeclampsia. 1st comparison group: pregnancy on the background of pre-existing hypertension, without proteinuria. 2nd comparison group: edema and/or proteinuria during pregnancy, without hypertension. The control group — physiological process of pregnancy. Period of ophthalmological examination after pregnancy is 6–12 years.

Results. Development of various vascular and ischemic disorders of posterior eye segment occurred in 70 women (30.3 %). The periods of their formation after previous pregnancy varied from 3 to 11 years. Their frequency in the 1st and 2nd main groups was statistically significantly higher. The most common were retinal vein occlusion and post-thrombotic retinopathy. The negative outcomes of transferred GH and preeclampsia are no eliminated with delivery and can manifest next years and even decades after it.

Conclusion. Нigh risk factors for development of vascular and ischemic disorders of posterior eye segment are transferred preeclampsia, especially with its early onset (20–24 weeks), or premature birth (26–28 weeks); pregnancy, complicated by GH. The risk of developing this eye pathology is highest in women aged 38–40 years and over. 

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