Maternal blood pressure during pregnancy and children's cardiometabolic function: A birth cohort study.

Abstract

Background and aim: The evidence regarding the effect of the trajectory of blood pressure (BP) during pregnancy on children's cardiometabolic risk (CMR) was absence. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between maternal BP in the first, second, and third trimester of pregnancy and the trajectory of maternal BP during pregnancy and children's cardiometabolic function.

Methods and results: 2159 mother-child pairs with singleton live births from the Ma'anshan Birth Cohort were included in the study. Maternal BP was measured at antenatal checkups and children's cardiometabolic biomarkers were measured at 4-6 years. Then linear and generalized linear models were performed for analyses. We found that maternal BP in the 1st trimester of pregnancy mainly affected children's BP, while maternal BP in the 2nd and 3rd trimester affected children's total CMR, including glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism and BP. Maternal high BP trajectories were also associated with children's high CMR factors, especially in the systolic BP (SBP) trajectories. Similarly, maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy was associated with children's increased CMR.

Conclusions: In our study, maternal high BP during pregnancy, especially in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, might predict poor cardiometabolic health in offspring. And maternal SBP might have a greater effect on children's cardiometabolism than diastolic BP.