Blood Pressure Trajectories Through the First Year Postpartum in Overweight or Obese Individuals Following a Hypertensive Disorder of Pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are associated with cardiovascular disease; however, patterns of blood pressure (BP) recovery are understudied. We compared pregnancy and postpartum BP trajectories among individuals with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy who developed persistent hypertension at 1-year postpartum compared with individuals with normalization of BP. METHODS: We used data from a randomized clinical trial of individuals with overweight, obesity, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy conducted in the first year after delivery. Pregnancy BPs were obtained during prenatal visits; postpartum BPs were prospectively obtained through home monitoring. Demographic characteristics and trajectories were compared by hypertensive status (systolic BP ≥130 mm Hg, diastolic BP ≥80 mm Hg, or use of antihypertensive medications) at 1 year. We used repeated BP measures to fit separate mixed-effects linear regression models for pregnancy and postpartum using restricted cubic splines. RESULTS: We included 129 individuals; 75 (58%) individuals progressed to hypertension by 1-year postpartum. Individuals with hypertension were older, delivered at earlier gestational ages, and had higher body mass index at 1-year postpartum compared with those with normalization. Individuals with hypertension had similar BP trajectories during pregnancy to those with BP normalization but a significantly different BP trajectory (P<0.01 for systolic and diastolic BPs) in the first year postpartum. These differences persisted in multivariable models after adjustment for early pregnancy body mass index, age, and severity of hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (P<0.01 for systolic and diastolic BPs). CONCLUSIONS: BP trajectories in the first year postpartum, but not during pregnancy, may provide important information for risk stratification after a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. REGISTRATION: URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03749746.

Postpartum home blood pressure monitoring and lifestyle intervention in overweight and obese individuals the first year after gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia: A pilot feasibility trial.

OBJECTIVE: To test the feasibility of a randomised trial of home blood pressure monitoring paired with a remote lifestyle intervention (Heart Health 4 New Moms) versus home blood pressure monitoring alone versus control in individuals with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy in the first year postpartum. DESIGN: Single-blinded three-arm randomised clinical trial. SETTING: Two tertiary care hospitals and a community organisation. POPULATION: Postpartum overweight and obese individuals with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy and without pre-pregnancy hypertension or diabetes. METHODS: We assessed the feasibility of recruitment and retention of 150 participants to study completion at 1-year postpartum with randomisation 1:1:1 into each arm. Secondary aims were to test effects of the interventions on weight, blood pressure and self-efficacy. RESULTS: Over 23 months, we enrolled 148 of 400 eligible, screened individuals (37%); 28% black or other race and mean pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) of 33.4 ± 6.7 kg/m2 . In total, 129 (87%) participants completed the 1-year postpartum study visit. Overall, 22% of participants developed stage 2 hypertension (≥140/90 mmHg or on anti-hypertensive medications) by 1 year postpartum. There were no differences in weight or self-efficacy across the study arms. CONCLUSION: In this pilot, randomised trial, we demonstrate feasibility of HBPM paired with a lifestyle intervention in the first year postpartum. We detected high rates of ongoing hypertension, emphasising the need for the development of effective interventions in this population.