Blood pressure in early adolescence in the offspring of preeclamptic and normotensive pregnancies.

Objective: To compare blood pressure (BP) in adolescence (11-12 years) among the offspring of preeclamptic and normotensive pregnancies.

Method: SBP and DBP of 181 girls and boys born after pregnancies with preeclampsia were measured and compared with the BP of 356 age-matched girls and boys of normotensive pregnancies. The association of preeclampsia with later BP was adjusted for perinatal information, anthropometric factors at follow-up, and maternal BP and BMI.

Results: In the preeclampsia group, SBP in early adolescence was higher than in the normotensive group (115.3 vs. 113.5 mmHg, P = 0.03), but there was no difference in DBP (66.4 vs. 65.3 mmHg, P = 0.10). After adjustment for maternal body mass and BP, the difference in SBP was largely attenuated.

Conclusion: The higher SBP among adolescent offspring of preeclamptic pregnancies could be mediated by maternal body mass or BP, factors that are positively associated with the risk of preeclampsia in pregnancy.