Maternal Hypertensive Disorder of Pregnancy and Mortality in Offspring From Birth to Young Adulthood: National Population-based Cohort Study

Abstract

(BMJ 2022;379:e072157) A large portion of pregnancies are affected by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), and they have been associated with poor outcomes during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, and for children later in life. This study aimed to understand the association between overall and specific maternal HDP with overall and cause-specific mortality in children from birth to adulthood. Secondary to this aim, this study also investigated whether diabetes and education have an additional effect on children’s mortality and whether the timing of onset for HDP makes a difference. Primary outcomes were all causes of death, and secondary outcomes were specific causes: cancer, mental or behavioral disorders, conditions originating in the perinatal period, congenital malformations and chromosomal abnormalities, external causes, and diseases related to cardiovascular function, infection or parasite, endocrine, nutritional, or metabolic function, nervous system or sense organs, respiratory system function, digestive system function, musculoskeletal system or connective tissue, or genitourinary system function.