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Do hypertensive diseases of pregnancy disrupt neurocognitive development in offspring?

Andrew J O Whitehouse1, Monique Robinson, John P Newnham

  • 1Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, West Perth, WA, Australia. awhitehouse@ichr.uwa.edu.au

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology
|February 14, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Hypertensive diseases of pregnancy, including gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia, are linked to a slight decrease in children's verbal abilities by middle childhood. This study highlights a potential neurocognitive risk associated with maternal hypertension during pregnancy.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatric Neurology

Background:

  • Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, such as gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia, affect a significant portion of pregnancies.
  • The long-term neurocognitive effects of these maternal conditions on offspring are not fully understood.
  • Previous research suggests potential links between prenatal exposures and later cognitive development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between hypertensive diseases of pregnancy and neurocognitive outcomes in middle childhood.
  • To determine if gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia impact verbal and non-verbal abilities at approximately age 10.
  • To control for various sociodemographic, antenatal, obstetric, and postnatal factors in the analysis.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study, including 1389 children.
  • Assessed offspring verbal ability using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test - Revised (PPVT-R) and non-verbal ability with Ravens Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM).
  • Employed multivariable regression analyses to examine the relationship between hypertensive pregnancy conditions and cognitive scores, adjusting for covariates.

Main Results:

  • Offspring from pregnancies with maternal hypertension (gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia) showed a statistically significant mean reduction of 1.83 points in PPVT-R scores.
  • A three-level analysis indicated that gestational hypertension was associated with a 1.71-point decrease in PPVT-R scores.
  • No significant effect of hypertensive pregnancy diseases was found on offspring non-verbal ability as measured by RCPM scores.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal hypertensive diseases of pregnancy represent a risk factor for a small but significant reduction in offspring verbal ability in middle childhood.
  • The findings underscore the importance of monitoring maternal health during pregnancy for potential long-term child development implications.
  • Further research may explore the underlying mechanisms linking prenatal hypertension to verbal skill development.

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