Is Parity a Risk Factor for Coronary Heart Disease?

Introduction- Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the second cause of mortality in women over the age of 40. The risk factors for CAD in females include: age over 55, BP>140/90, smoking and hyperlipidemia. As we know, the plasma lipoprotein level changes significantly during pregnancy, and low density lipoprotein reaches its peak approximately in the 36th week of pregnancy. Hypercholesterolemia induced by pregnancy may be atherogenic. The purpose of this study was to evaluate any relation between multiparity and CAD. Methods- In this case-control study, 230 women over 50 years old were studied. Of this total, 115 were considered as the case group, who were selected from among patients with CAD admitted to the cardiac ward. Another 115 patients without CAD who were admitted to the internal and surgery wards with normal cardiovascular consultation were selected as the control group. Patients with known risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, obesity, active and passive smokers, type A personality and any record of hormone replacement therapy were excuded. The data were analyzed using the commericially available software s t-test and χ2 were used for analysis, and results ׳ package SPSS, version 11. Studentwere expressed as mean پ} SD. p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results- The mean age of the subjects at first parity in the case and control groups was 16.092 and 16.32 years, respectively (p=NS). The mean number of parities in the case group was 7.53.1, and 5.91.9 in the control group (p<0.001). Body mass index (MI) was 23.6 and 24.8, respectively; and mean cholesterol level, LDL and HDL in the case and control groups were within normal limits, with no patients being overweight. The average cholesterol, HDL, and LDL levels for the case and control groups were 164.2 vs. 164.1, 102.6 vs. 105.4 and 34.5 vs. 40.5, respectively. Cunclusion- Exposure to repeated periods of hyperlipidemia induced by pregnancy may be responsible for an increased risk of CAD, especially in women with parity above four. The patient’s age at first pregnancy was not observed to be a risk factor for CAD(Iranian Heart Journal 2007; 8 (4): 43-46).