Children whose mothers experienced health complications during pregnancy — such as obesity, high blood pressure, or gestational diabetes — may face a higher risk of developing elevated blood pressure during childhood and adolescence, according to a new study published on May 8 in JAMA Network Open.

The study, which examined nearly 30 years of data from around 12,500 mother-child pairs across the US, found that even one pregnancy-related risk factor could lead to a noticeable rise in the child’s blood pressure between the ages of 2 and 18.

Researchers reported that nearly 44 per cent of mothers had at least one of the three conditions during pregnancy. Among them, maternal obesity was most common, affecting nearly one in four women. High blood pressure disorders were present in about 14 per cent, while nearly 7 per cent of mothers had gestational diabetes.

The findings revealed that children of mothers with at least one of these conditions had higher average blood pressure readings — about 4.9 points higher for systolic (pressure during a heartbeat) and 1.9 points higher for diastolic (pressure between beats) readings. Children exposed to two maternal risk factors were found to have even greater increases. For example, those born to mothers with high blood pressure disorders averaged 7.3 points higher systolic and 4 points higher diastolic.

Additionally, these children showed a faster increase in blood pressure over time. The systolic pressure rose about 0.5 points per year, and diastolic by 0.7 points per year, on average. The study also noted that girls and Black children were more likely to experience these upward trends compared to boys and children from other racial and ethnic groups.

The researchers emphasized that early interventions during pregnancy and childhood could play a crucial role in preventing future health problems. They also highlighted a potential gap in current pediatric healthcare guidelines, which often do not recommend routine blood pressure screenings for children who appear otherwise healthy.

The study’s lead authors suggest that these findings call for a reassessment of early monitoring practices, especially for children whose mothers experienced complications during pregnancy. Even modest increases in blood pressure at a young age, they caution, can escalate over time and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease later in life.

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