Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and subsequent risk of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias

IntroductionWomen with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Whether HDP is also associated with later-life dementia has not been fully explored. MethodsUsing the Utah Population Database, we performed an 80-year retrospective cohort study of 59,668 parous women. ResultsWomen with, versus without, HDP, had a 1.37 higher risk of all-cause dementia (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.26, 1.50) after adjustment for maternal age at index birth, birth year, and parity. HDP was associated with a 1.64 higher risk of vascular dementia (95% CI: 1.19, 2.26) and 1.49 higher risk of other dementia (95% CI: 1.34, 1.65) but not Alzheimer's disease dementia (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.87, 1.24). Gestational hypertension and preeclampsia/eclampsia showed similar increased dementia risk. Nine mid-life cardiometabolic and mental health conditions explained 61% of HDP's effect on subsequent dementia risk. DiscussionImproved HDP and mid-life care could reduce the risk of dementia.