Heart disease is the leading cause of illness and death worldwide. However, there is insufficient public awareness and research on heart disease in women. Women-specific risk factors, such as pregnancy complications, play a major role in causing later-life heart disease. Specifically, women with the pregnancy hypertension, preeclampsia (PE) are five times more likely to develop heart diseases in the future. However, the genetic relationship between PE and heart disease remains unclear. Thus, our aim is to identify the genes involved in PE and its development to later-life heart disease. This will be done by using the data from the Busselton Health Study and closely examining the genetic information of these women. Once the possible genetic links are identified, these findings will be verified using another big set of data from the UK Biobank. Thus, the reliability of the results can be confirmed. This project is expected to take approximately three years and has a significant impact on the public health. A better understanding of the molecular components that link preeclampsia (PE) with heart diseases in later life can offer valuable knowledge into the biology of these diseases. This knowledge can assist in providing targeted guidance to those at risk and increase the innovation of better prevention and treatment plans. By taking this crucial step, we can make significant developments in the battle against PE and heart disease.
