Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Adversely Affect Preemie Neurodevelopment
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, May 1, 2025 -- Maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are associated with adverse cognitive and language development in preterm infants at 2 years' corrected age, according to a study published online April 29 in JAMA Network Open.
Shipra Jain, M.D., from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and colleagues examined the associations between maternal HDP and neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants at 2 years' corrected age in a regional prospective cohort study of 395 preterm infants from five neonatal intensive care units.
The researchers found that 170 (43 percent) of the infants were HDP-exposed, and of these, 104 (61 percent) were exposed to preeclampsia. Overall, 341 children completed the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID), Third Edition. There was a significant negative association for HDP with BSID cognitive scores and language scores (−3.69 and −4.07, respectively) in adjusted analyses. Similarly negative but greater associations were seen for preeclampsia exposure with BSID cognitive and language scores (−4.85 and −6.30, respectively). The association between HDP and cognitive scores was partially mediated by its adverse association with brain abnormalities at term-equivalent age in a mediation analysis (24 percent of the total effect).
"Maternal HDP exposure was independently and significantly associated with adverse cognitive and language outcomes at 2 years' corrected age, with greater effects in pregnancy-induced hypertension or preeclampsia-exposed infants, suggesting that abnormal placentation may lead to more pronounced neurodevelopmental impairments," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted May 2025
Read this next
Preemies' Early-Life Medical Risk Tied to Worse Health at Age 35
FRIDAY, Aug. 1, 2025 -- Higher early-life medical risk among preterm infants is associated with increased occurrence of mental health disorders, cardiometabolic issues, and body...
GLP-1 Receptor Agonists May Improve Outcomes in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension
MONDAY, July 21, 2025 -- For patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) treatment is associated with improved...
ENDO: Primary Aldosteronism Screening Recommended for All With Hypertension
FRIDAY, July 18, 2025 -- All individuals with hypertension should be screened for primary aldosteronism (PA), according to a clinical practice guideline issued by the Endocrine...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.