title: Recurrent Pregnancy Loss and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in Japanese Women: A Population-Based, Prospective Cohort Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to examine the association between recurrent pregnancy loss and the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  We identified 54,652 women who were pregnant during the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study. These women were 40-79 years at the date of cohort entry between 1988 and 1990. Participants received municipal health screening examinations and completed self-administered questionnaires. The cause of death was confirmed by annual or biannual follow-up surveys for a median of 18 years. The exposure was the number of pregnancy loss. The outcome was mortality from total cardiovascular disease and its subtypes according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision. Adjustment variables included age, number of deliveries, education, body mass index, physical activity, smoking status, and drinking status. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to estimate the cumulative mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of pregnancy loss tended to be inversely associated with the risk of mortality from total stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and total cardiovascular disease. The multivariable hazard ratio of total cardiovascular disease for ≥2 pregnancy losses versus no pregnancy loss was .84 (95% confidence interval, .74-0.95). A 2-fold excess risk of mortality from ischemic stroke associated with ≥2 pregnancy losses was observed in women aged 40-59 years, with a multivariable hazard ratio of 2.19 (95% confidence interval, 1.06-4.49), but not in older women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Recurrentpregnancy loss tends to be associated with a lower risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease at 40-79 years. Younger women have an excess risk of ischemic stroke mortality associated with recurrent pregnancy loss.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita-shi, Osaka, 565-0871 Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita-shi, Osaka, 565-0871 Japan. Electronic address: iso@pbhel.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroyasu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iso
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita-shi, Osaka, 565-0871 Japan.
authors.forename: Renzhe
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Kita 15, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638 Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tamakoshi
mesh_terms: D000026:Abortion, Habitual / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality*; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D016014:Linear Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D065840:Protective Factors; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Abortion; cardiovascular disease; cerebral infarction; miscarriage; stillbirth