AUTHOR=Varley Benjamin J. , Henry Amanda , Roberts Lynne , Davis Gregory , Skilton Michael R. , Craig Maria E. , Gow Megan L. 

TITLE=Intrauterine exposure to preeclampsia does not impair vascular health in children

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1071304

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.1071304

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background and objectives</title><p>Preeclampsia is a serious multisystem blood pressure disorder during pregnancy that is associated with increased long-term risk of cardiovascular disease to the mother and offspring. We investigated the vascular health of children exposed to intrauterine preeclampsia.</p></sec><sec><title>Materials and methods</title><p>This was a cross-sectional study of offspring in a prospective cohort of women with complications during pregnancy. Children aged between 2 and 5 years [median age 4.7 (2.8, 5.1) years] exposed to intrauterine preeclampsia (<italic>n</italic> = 26) or normotensive controls (<italic>n</italic> = 34), were recruited between July 2020 and April 2021. Vascular health was assessed by measuring aortic intima-media thickness and pulse wave velocity. Univariate generalized linear regression models were used to explore associations between vascular measurements and explanatory variables.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Children exposed to preeclampsia had a lower body mass index at assessment (15.5 vs. 16.2 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, <italic>p</italic> = 0.04), birth weight (2.90 vs. 3.34 kg, <italic>p</italic> = 0.004), gestational age at birth (37.5 vs. 39.4 weeks, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) and higher frequency of preterm birth (27% vs. 6%, <italic>p</italic> = 0.02). There were no differences in vascular health between children exposed to preeclampsia vs. controls (mean aortic intima-media thickness 0.575 mm vs. 0.563 mm, <italic>p</italic> = 0.51, pulse wave velocity 4.09 vs. 4.18 m/s, <italic>p</italic> = 0.54) and there were no significant associations in univariate analyses.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>There were no major adverse differences in vascular health which contrasts with existing studies. This suggests exposure to intrauterine preeclampsia may result in a less severe cardiovascular phenotype in young children. While reassuring, longitudinal studies are required to determine if and when exposure to intrauterine preeclampsia affects vascular health in children.</p></sec>