Maternal Chronic Hypertension Elevates the Risk for Long-Term Selected Endocrine and Metabolic Morbidity in the Offspring, Particularly Childhood Obesity

Background: Maternal hypertensive disorders during pregnancy are known to be associated with high rates of perinatal complications for both mother and child. We aimed at determining whether maternal chronic hypertension impacts long-term pediatric endocrine and metabolic morbidity. Methods: A population-based, retrospective cohort study was performed. Exposure was defined as the presence of maternal chronic hypertension. Hospitalizations of the offspring up to the age of 18 years involving endocrine and metabolic morbidity were evaluated. A Kaplan-Meier survival curve was employed to compare the cumulative morbidity incidence between both groups (exposed and unexposed offspring). Cox proportional hazards models were used to control for confounders. Results: During the study period, 232,841 singleton deliveries met the inclusion criteria. Of them, 1.1% (n = 2655) were exposed to maternal chronic hypertension during pregnancy. Total hospitalization rate involving endocrine-metabolic morbidities was doubled in the hypertensive group (1% vs. 0.5% in the normotensive group, p < 0.001). Specifically, childhood obesity was significantly more common in offspring of mothers with chronic hypertension (0.7% vs. 0.2%, respectively, p < 0.001). The survival curve demonstrated significantly higher cumulative incidence of total endocrine and metabolic morbidity in the exposed group (log rank p = 0.002). In a Cox regression model, maternal chronic hypertension exhibited an independent association with long-term childhood endocrine or metabolic morbidity (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.5, 95% confidence interval 1.01-2.2, p = 0.045). Conclusions: Maternal chronic hypertension appears to be an independent and a significant risk factor for long-term pediatric endocrine and metabolic morbidity, and specifically for childhood obesity, in the offspring.