Statistical analyses
Data were analysed using SPSS 26.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Descriptive data were expressed as means and standard deviations for normally distributed data or medians with interquartile ranges for non-normally distributed data. Chi-square tests were used for comparison of categorical variables while Student’s t-test or Mann-WhitneyU- tests were used for continuous variables.
Placental lesions (frequencies and severity scores) were compared between the low CVD risk and high CVD risk groups. The association between individual placental lesions and lifetime CVD risk was assessed using odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. Multivariable logistic regression was used to develop prediction models for lifetime CVD risk with placental data alone or in combination with clinical data. Performance of the models were assessed using area under the receiver operator characteristic (AUC ROC) curve analysis.