Pregnancy and dementia

Pregnant women with gestational hypertension and preeclampsia/eclampsia had a higher risk for vascular dementia later in life, though they showed no significant excess risk for Alzheimer's disease, according to a study that retrospectively tracked women over an 80-year period.

As much as 61% of the excess risk could be explained by midlife heart and mental disorders.

These new data illuminate the importance of prenatal care and monitoring the long-term health of pregnant people as it may impact cognition and dementia risk in later life. Those who experience changes with their memory and cognition should have a discussion with their neurologist.

Source: Schliep K, et al "What subtypes are driving the association between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and dementia? Findings from an 80-year retrospective cohort study" AAIC 2022