Gestational hypertensive disorders and blood pressure and childhood cardiac outcomes: A prospective cohort study

Objective To assess whether gestational hypertensive disorders and higher gestational blood pressure were associated with subclinical changes in offspring cardiac structure and function during childhood. Design Population‐based prospective cohort study. Setting Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Population A cohort of 2502 mother–offspring pairs. Methods Maternal blood pressure was measured in early, mid and late pregnancy, and information on gestational disorders were obtained from medical records. Offspring cardiac measurements were assessed by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance at 10 years. Main outcome measures Left and right ventricular end‐diastolic volumes (LVEDVs and RVEDVs), and ejection fractions, and left ventricular mass (LVM). Results Offspring exposed to pre‐eclampsia had a lower right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) (difference, −0.31 SDS; 95% CI −0.60, −0.02); however, no associations with other cardiac outcomes were present. Higher maternal diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in early and late pregnancy was associated with lower LVEDVs and RVEDVs (p