In her doctoral research, MD Anna Kivioja examined the association between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, particularly pre-eclampsia, and future cardiovascular disease risk. Based on large Finnish datasets, the findings show that women with a history of hypertensive pregnancy disorders have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. The study highlights pregnancy as an important window into a woman’s future cardiovascular health and suggests that pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders may predict cardiovascular risk even more strongly than genetic predisposition.
The doctoral dissertation will be publicly examined at Tampere University on Friday, 4 September 2026. Further information about the dissertation defence and the research is available in Tampere University doctoral dissertation announcement (in Finnish).