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Maternal Gestational Diabetes Is Associated With Offspring's Hypertension
Jun Lu1,2, Shuang Zhang3, Weiqin Li3
1Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital South Campus,Shanghai, China.
Insights
Maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) increases the risk of high blood pressure in children. Managing GDM during pregnancy may help prevent childhood hypertension.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Endocrinology
- Public Health
Background:
- Inconsistent findings exist regarding the link between maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and offspring hypertension risk.
- Gestational diabetes mellitus affects a significant number of pregnancies globally.
- Early childhood hypertension is a growing concern with long-term health implications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and the risk of hypertension in offspring during early childhood.
- To quantify the increased risk of high blood pressure in children exposed to GDM in utero.
Main Methods:
- A cohort study involving 1,156 mother-child pairs, with 578 pairs in the GDM group and 578 in the non-GDM control group.
- Maternal GDM diagnosed using World Health Organization criteria.
- Standardized measurements of childhood height, weight, and blood pressure; hypertension and high blood pressure defined using established pediatric guidelines.
Main Results:
- Children of mothers with GDM exhibited higher mean systolic blood pressure Z scores (0.09 vs. -0.17).
- The prevalence of hypertension was significantly higher in children of mothers with GDM (6.4% vs. 3.5%).
- Children exposed to GDM had an increased risk of hypertension (OR 2.32) and high blood pressure (OR 1.89).
Conclusions:
- Maternal gestational diabetes mellitus is significantly associated with an elevated risk of hypertension in offspring.
- Effective management of GDM during pregnancy is crucial for mitigating the risk of childhood hypertension.
- This study highlights the importance of prenatal care and GDM control for long-term child health outcomes.
Objective:
Several studies assessed maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with the risk of childhood high blood pressure, and the results were inconsistent. We investigated the association between maternal GDM and hypertension risk in offspring during early childhood.
Methods:
We performed a large study in 1,156 mother-child pairs (578 GDM and 578 non-GDM matched by their offspring's age and sex). Maternal GDM was diagnosed according to the World Health Organization criteria. Childhood height, weight, and blood pressure were measured using standardized methods. Age-, sex-, and height-specific blood pressure Z score, childhood hypertension, and high blood pressure were evaluated according to the reference range of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group on High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents.
Results:
After adjustment for maternal and children's characteristics, children born to mothers with GDM during pregnancy had higher mean values of systolic blood pressure Z score (0.09 vs. -0.17), and higher prevalence of hypertension (6.4% vs. 3.5%) and high blood pressure (15.6% vs. 9.3%) in comparison with their counterparts born to mothers without GDM during pregnancy (all P values <0.05). Multivariable-adjusted odds ratios among children of mothers with GDM compared with children of mothers without GDM were 2.32 (95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.16-4.62) for hypertension and 1.89 (95% CI 1.24-2.86) for high blood pressure, respectively.
Conclusions:
Maternal GDM was associated with an increased risk of hypertension in the offspring. Controlling maternal GDM may be important for preventing childhood hypertension in the affected offspring.