| Summary: | Abstract To evaluate the effect of age and parity on maternal cardiac diastolic function in second trimester among pregnant women with normal left ventricular ejection fraction. To analyze the correlation between impaired diastolic function and pre-eclampsia. It had been suggested that maternal cardiac adaptations during pregnancy differed between nulliparous and primiparous women and also varied according to age. Impaired cardiac function may precede pre-eclampsia. Therefore, we examined the effects of parity and age on cardiac diastolic function during pregnancy and whether impaired diastolic function during the second trimester correlates with pre-eclampsia. Women with singleton pregnancies at 13 + 0 to 27 + 6 weeks’ gestation and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥ 50% were retrospectively identified. Diastolic function parameters were assessed using transthoracic echocardiography. Pre-eclampsia was identified from medical records. The effect of age and parity on maternal cardiac diastolic function as well as the correlation between impaired diastolic function and occurrence rate of pre-eclampsia were examined. 376 pregnant women were included (median age: 30 years; median gestational age: 14 weeks; 171 primiparous women). LVEF was 66%. Impaired cardiac diastolic function was seen in 7.8% of pregnant women < 35 years compared with 28.6% of those ≥ 35 years (p = 0.000). ROC curve showed women with maternal age over 32 began to have a higher rate of impaired cardiac diastolic function (AUC = 0.704, p = 0.000, sensitivity = 54.5%, specificity = 75.3%). There was no difference in diastolic function indices between maternal women grouped by parity. Higher maternal age was an independent risk factor of declining Em (p < 0.05). Em < 13 cm/s was significantly associated with pre-eclampsia occurrence (HR 8.56; 95% CI 3.40–21.57) after being adjusted for confounders. Maternal age is an independent risk factor for diastolic function decline. There is no difference in cardiac diastolic function between nulliparous women and primiparous women. Pre-eclampsia occurrence is significantly higher in patients with impaired diastolic function at mid-gestation. The application of risk grading using diastolic function at mid-gestation may improve the survival outcomes of pregnant women.
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