Maternal cardiovascular health during pregnancy affects offspring development

Better maternal cardiovascular health during pregnancy is associated with a lower risk of developmental delay in offspring, whereas poor maternal cardiovascular health during pregnancy contributes to a risk increase, according to a study.

The study was conducted in Japan and included mother–offspring pairs enrolled in the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study. Researchers assessed maternal cardiovascular health during pregnancy using the Life’s Essential 8 metrics (diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep health, body mass index, blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure).

The main outcome of developmental delay at age 4 years was determined through validated Japanese version of Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition, which was completed by mothers.

A total of 8,238 mother–offspring pairs were included in the analysis. Offspring assessment was performed at a mean age of 4.1 years and included 4,299 males and 3,939 females. Developmental delay occurred in 8.8 percent, 12.1 percent, and 16.8 percent of children born to mothers with high, moderate, and low cardiovascular health during pregnancy, respectively.

The risk of developmental delay among children born to mothers with low cardiovascular health during pregnancy was 62 percent higher than that observed among children born to mothers with high cardiovascular health (risk ratio [RR], 1.62, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.11–2.36). Among children born to mothers with moderate maternal cardiovascular health during pregnancy, the risk was attenuated but remained elevated (RR, 1.30, 95 percent CI, 1.09–1.54).

Notably, low maternal cardiovascular health was associated with higher prevalence of developmental delay across all 5 domains, with the largest effect size observed for personal-social domain (RR, 2.23, 95 percent CI, 1.23–4.07; p=0.002 for trend).