Cardiac structure and function assessed by echocardiography in pregnant women with pre-eclampsia: a meta-analysis

Abstract Introduction Pre-eclampsia (PreE), presenting after the 20th week of gestation, leads to high blood pressure and proteinuria. If left untreated it may cause adverse outcomes due to cardiac impairment. Objective The current meta-analysis sought to investigate the association of PreE with cardiac structure and function. Methodology A systematic review was conducted in electronic databases to identify studies reporting the association of PreE with the structure and function of the heart in comparison with non-PreE women. Results Fourteen studies with 12,634 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Women with PreE were older (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) =0.04-0.20, p