Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Children and Young Adults Born to Preeclamptic Pregnancies: A Systematic Review

2012/05/22 by Esther Davis, Esther Frances Davis, Merzaka Lazdam +14 · 532 citations
Medicine · #Birth, Development, and Health #Blood pressure #Cholesterol #Confidence interval #Endocrinology #Fetus #Gestational Diabetes Research and Management #In utero #Internal medicine #Lipid profile #Medicine #Obstetrics #Offspring #Preeclampsia #Pregnancy #Pregnancy and preeclampsia studies #Relative risk #Risk factor

paper · doi:10.1542/peds.2011-3093

published in PEDIATRICS 129(6), e1552-e1561 (American Academy of Pediatrics)

openalex publication_date 2012/05/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Preeclampsia is an independent cardiovascular risk factor for the mother, and recent studies reveal that offspring of affected pregnancies also may have an increased cardiovascular risk. Our objective was to examine evidence for increased cardiovascular risk factors in children exposed to preeclampsia in utero. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on studies reporting traditional cardiovascular risk factors in those exposed to preeclampsia compared to controls. Information was extracted on the classic cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure, lipid profile, glucose metabolism, and BMI from articles published between 1948 and August 2011 in Medline and Embase. RESULTS: Eighteen studies provided cumulated data on 45,249 individuals. In utero exposure to preeclampsia was associated with a 2.39 mm Hg (95% confidence interval: 1.74-3.05; P < .0001) higher systolic and a 1.35 mm Hg (95% confidence interval: 0.90-1.80; P < .00001) higher diastolic blood pressure during childhood and young adulthood. BMI was increased by 0.62 kg/m2 (P < .00001). Associations were similar in children and adolescents, for different genders, and with variation in birth weight. There was insufficient evidence to identify consistent variation in lipid profile or glucose metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: Young offspring of pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia already have increased blood pressure and BMI, a finding that may need to be considered in future primary prevention strategies for cardiovascular disease.

Citations

• Neonates Born to Mothers With Preeclampsia Exhibit Sex-Specific Alterations in Microvascular Function
• Cardiovascular sequelae of preeclampsia/eclampsia: A systematic review and meta-analyses

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• Fetal programming and the angiotensin-(1-7) axis: a review of the experimental and clinical data. [europepmc]
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• Maternal body mass index, gestational weight gain, and the risk of overweight and obesity across childhood: An individual participant data meta-analysis. [europepmc]
• Decreased maternal serum acetate and impaired fetal thymic and regulatory T cell development in preeclampsia. [europepmc]
• The Transitional Heart: From Early Embryonic and Fetal Development to Neonatal Life. [europepmc]
• Preeclampsia: Risk Factors, Diagnosis, Management, and the Cardiovascular Impact on the Offspring. [europepmc]
• Risk of hypertension into adulthood in persons born prematurely: a national cohort study. [europepmc]
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• Essential Role of Complement in Pregnancy: From Implantation to Parturition and Beyond. [europepmc]
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