Female Reproductive Factors and Risk of New-Onset Heart Failure
Fang Zhu, Hongchao Qi, Maxime M. Bos, Eric Boersma, Maryam Kavousi
Abstract
BACKGROUND: A comprehensive evaluation of woman-specific risk factors in relation to incident heart failure (HF) is limited. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to investigate the association of multiple female reproductive factors with the risk of HF. METHODS: Between 2007 and 2010, 229,026 women (mean age: 56.5 years) without prevalent HF from the UK Biobank cohort were included and followed until December 2020. The relation between (self-reported) reproductive factors and HF was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards models with adjustment for potential confounding. RESULTS: : 1.19 [95% CI: 1.07-1.33]) were associated with higher risk of HF. Compared to women with 1 or 2 children, having 3 or 4 children (HR: 1.09 [95% CI: 1.02-1.17]) or >4 children (HR: 1.24 [95% CI: 1.05-1.47]) was associated with higher HF risk. Experiencing miscarriages or abortions was not significantly associated with incident HF, whereas experiencing 1 stillbirth and recurrent stillbirths conferred a 20% and 43% larger risk of HF, respectively, compared to no stillbirth. CONCLUSIONS: The findings emphasize the importance of female reproductive history in the assessment of HF risk.