Abstract
Background
Maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are the major causes of maternal mortality. However, the association between HDP and offspring’s neurodevelopment remains unclear.
Method
Participants were 4031 singleton live births from a prospective cohort study in Wuhan, China, during October 2013 to October 2014. Neurodevelopment of infant was evaluated by using Chinese version of Gesell Developmental Schedules at 0.5 year of age. Maternal HDP and potential confounders were ascertained by healthcare records at baseline.
Results
Generalized linear model analysis indicated that maternal chronic hypertension were significantly associated with development quotient on fine motor (β = −3.32, 95% CI: −6.33 to −0.31), adaptability (β = −2.87, 95% CI: −5.31 to −0.43), language (β = −1.23, 95% CI: −2.12 to −0.34) and social behavior (β = −2.53, 95% CI: −4.69 to −0.37), and gestational hypertension was significantly associated with development quotient on social behavior (β = −1.42, 95% CI: −2.03 to −0.81), even after adjustment of major confounders. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that maternal chronic hypertension also increased the risk of diagnosis of “neurodevelopmental delay” on fine motor (OR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.19−2.89), adaptability (OR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.42−3.78), language (OR = 2.86, 95% CI: 1.74−4.70), and social behavior (OR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.73−2.59).
Conclusion
This study suggests that exposure to HDP is associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopment impairment in the offspring at the age of 0.5 year.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge all participating families for their continuing participation in the study. We also would like to acknowledge pediatricians and other study staffs for their commitment to data collection. This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers: 81273083, 91643207). The funder of the study had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report.
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Z.C. and B.Z. conceived and designed the study. R.L. and J.Z. assisted with study design. Z.C. and H.L. contributed to statistical analysis and wrote the manuscript. J.D., L.Q., Y.Z. and C.X. provided statistical advice and C.Y. assisted with data collection. R.Y. reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors approved the final version to be published.
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Chen, Z., Li, R., Liu, H. et al. Impact of maternal hypertensive disorders on offspring’s neurodevelopment: a longitudinal prospective cohort study in China. Pediatr Res 88, 668–675 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-020-0794-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-020-0794-9
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