(NewsNation) — Hispanic/Latina women who experience hypertension during pregnancy may also face higher heart risks later in life, according to a National Institutes of Health-supported study.

Researchers revealed that hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) conditions, such as preeclampsia, eclampsia and gestational hypertension, may have a greater role to play in certain heart risks than regular blood pressure.

“These findings emphasize the importance of recognizing HDP as an important risk factor for these future problems, especially in this understudied population of women,” said NIH researcher Jasmina Varagic.

The study revealed rates of HDP more than doubled among pregnant women in the U.S. between 2007-2019. The increase was highest among pregnant women, resulting in more than 60 cases of some form of hypertensive disorder per every 1,000 live births.

Researchers observed the health of 5,168 Hispanic women who’d had at least one prior pregnancy and whose average age was 58.7.

Participants underwent heart scans, focusing on the left ventricle — the “powerhouse” chamber that pumps blood out of the body — searching for alterations in the heart’s structure and function.

Researchers discovered that women who had experienced HDP during pregnancy were more likely to have structural abnormalities in this area of the heart, compared to women without HDP histories.

“This underscores the importance of early surveillance for heart abnormalities in women whose pregnancy is complicated by HDP, and also the importance of managing high blood pressure to prevent later life cardiovascular disease,” said Varagic.

Varagic added that factors beyond blood pressure that link HDP to later-life heart abnormalities need further investigation.