Introduction: Preeclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy and childbirth that can contribute to the late onset of cardiovascular risk factors, among which the metabolic syndrome.Objective: Identifying the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its individual components in women who had preeclampsia and normal risk of pregnancy, evaluated five years after delivery.Method: Analytical and descriptive, cross-sectional study with data collection conducted from March to December 2011 in a maternity hospital school, Natal-RN-Brazil. The sample included 70 women who had previous preeclampsia and 75 with normal pregnancy, selected by simple random probability sampling method.Results: It appeared as a cardiovascular risk factor, with statistical significance for metabolic syndrome p = 0.042, but also the fasting glucose levels p = 0.030, HDL cholesterol p = 0.049, systolic and diastolic pressure p <0.001.
Conclusion:Therefore, preeclampsia appears as a potential risk factor for metabolic syndrome, hence as long-term cardiovascular risk factor.