Association between the number of pregnancies and cardiac target organ damages: a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Korean women’s chest pain registry (KoROSE)

Abstract Background Pregnancy increases long-term cardiovascular risk after childbirth, but the mechanisms are unclear. This study was performed to investigate the association between the number of pregnancies and several cardiac target organ damage (TOD) in middle-aged and elderly women. Methods Using the database of the nation-wide registry, a total of 1,137 women (mean age 63.0 ± 10.9 years) with stable chest pain undergoing invasive coronary angiography (CAG) were analyzed. Information on the number of pregnancies was obtained through a questionnaire. Obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), left ventricular (LV) mass index (LVMI) and LV septal annular (e′) velocity were assessed as indicators of cardiac TOD. Results Women with higher number of pregnancies (≥ 3) were older (66.3 ± 9.6 vs. 57.4 ± 10.7 years; P 95 g/m2) (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.08–1.98; P = 0.013) and a lower septal e′ velocity (