Influence of Age on Arterial Stiffness among Healthy Pregnant Women: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Normal pregnancy is associated with physiological cardiovascular system adaptations. Previous studies stated that physiological changes like arterial vasodilatation occurs for successful results for both mother and baby during pregnancy. Also, increased arterial stiffness during pregnancy causes several disorders, such as Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension (PIH) and foetal growth restriction. Aim: To evaluate the influence of age on arterial stiffness among third-trimester healthy pregnant women using Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted at BLDE (University), Vijayapur, Karnataka, India, between April 2019 to July 2019. A total of 60 pregnant women were screened and 48 healthy pregnant women between 20-40 years with resting blood pressure <140/90 mmHg, non smokers and subjects not taking medications were included in the present study. The sample size was divided into four groups (Group 1: 20-24 years; Group 2: 25-29 years Group 3: 30-34 years; and Group 4: 35-40 years). Each group contained 12 participants and vascular stiffness parameters like brachial-ankle PWV (b-a PWV) and carotid-femoral PWV (c-f PWV) were evaluated. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software 16.0 version. Comparison between the mean values was done using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Post-Hoc test (LSD) and correlation was assessed using Pearson's correlation test. The p-value <= 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Mean and standard deviation of b-a PWV (Group 1: 934.82 +/- 97.66; Group 2: 970.27 +/- 101.92; Group 3: 1077 +/- 112.20; Group 4: 1563.2 +/- 143.47) c-f PWV (Group 1: 574.78 +/- 62.81; Group 2: 662.26 +/- 61.88; Group 3: 769.88 +/- 65.51; Group 4: 967.96 +/- 70.52) showed statistically significant (p<0.001) increase in both b-a PWV and c-f PWV with age among third trimester healthy pregnant women. Pearson's Correlation test showed significant positive correlation between b-a PWV (r=0.516, p<0.001) and c-f PWV (r=0.532, p<0.001) with age among third trimester pregnant women. The values of present study observed increase in both b-a PWV and c-f PWV with age. Conclusion: Increased arterial stiffness with age among pregnant women, as assessed by PWV, predates the development of cardiovascular risk in women. This study may help obstetricians to reduce cardiovascular complications due to pregnancy in different age groups by suggesting regular physical activity, relaxation techniques and a healthy lifestyle to pregnant women in the early stage.