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Blood pressure change patterns during pregnancy and neurodevelopment trajectories in early childhood: A birth cohort
Xinyue Li1, Xiuxiu Li2, Zijun Yang1
1Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong, PR China.
Insights
Maternal blood pressure (BP) changes during pregnancy impact child neurodevelopment. Stable, moderate BP in mothers is linked to better child neurodevelopmental outcomes, while high-decreasing or low-increasing patterns pose risks.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Maternal blood pressure (BP) fluctuations during pregnancy and their effects on offspring neurodevelopment remain under-researched.
- Understanding these associations is crucial for identifying potential risks and interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between maternal BP change patterns throughout pregnancy and neurodevelopmental trajectories in children up to two years of age.
- To identify specific maternal BP patterns associated with optimal or delayed child neurodevelopment.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 2084 mother-child pairs in a Shenzhen birth cohort study.
- Applied trajectory modeling to identify distinct maternal BP and child neurodevelopmental patterns.
- Employed logistic and Poisson regressions to analyze associations, controlling for confounders.
Main Results:
- Identified three maternal BP patterns: 'Moderate-stable', 'Low-increasing', and 'High-decreasing'.
- Children born to mothers with 'High-decreasing' or 'Low-increasing' BP patterns showed increased risks of slower neurodevelopment compared to those with 'Moderate-stable' patterns.
- Domain-specific analyses confirmed that 'Moderate-stable' maternal BP was generally associated with better child neurodevelopment.
Conclusions:
- A moderate and stable maternal blood pressure profile during pregnancy is associated with favorable neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring.
- Maternal BP variations, particularly 'High-decreasing' and 'Low-increasing' patterns, may negatively influence child neurodevelopment.
Background:
The impact of maternal blood pressure (BP) changes during pregnancy on offspring's neurodevelopment has been understudied. We investigated the associations between maternal BP change patterns and neurodevelopmental trajectories in children.
Methods:
We included 2084 mother-child pairs from an ongoing birth cohort study launched in 2018 in Shenzhen, China. Maternal BPs were repeatedly measured over pregnancy, and children's neurodevelopment status was evaluated regularly within 2 years after birth. We identified BP and neurodevelopmental trajectories using trajectory modeling, followed by multinomial logistic and robust Poisson regressions to estimate associations, adjusting for multiple confounders.
Results:
We identified three distinct maternal BP change patterns ("Moderate-stable", "Low-increasing" and "High-decreasing") and three trajectories for global neurodevelopment in children ("High", "Moderate" and "Low"). Compared with children whose mothers in the "Moderate-stable" group, those with mothers in the "High-decreasing" group were more likely to have slower neurodevelopment [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.397 (95 % CI: 0.998-1.957) for "Low" vs "Moderate"; 1.593 (95 % CI: 1.068-2.375) for "Low" vs "High"]. Children with mothers in the "Low-increasing" group also had increased risks of delayed neurodevelopment [aOR: 1.357 (95 % CI: 1.014-1.818) for "Low" vs "Moderate"; 1.416 (95 % CI: 1.005-1.994) for "Low" vs "High"]. Consistent results were found in domain-specific analyses as children whose mothers had "Moderate-stable" BP change patterns generally had better neurodevelopment.
Conclusions:
We found that a moderate and stable maternal BP during pregnancy was associated with better neurodevelopment in offspring.
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