A Review of the Association of Cardiovascular Diseases and Maternal & Offspring Health Risk Factors

Since cardiovascular disease (CVD) is considered to be one of the most expanding collections of health disorders in terms of severity and progression, the relationship of maternal and offspring health risk factors with CVD needs study. The objective of this review was to identify how developmental origin and maternal health are related to disease progression in both mothers and their offspring, apart from general risk factors such as lifestyle, eating behavior and genetic factors. A computer based literature search through PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar and Google Search was carried out. The keywords for searching included maternal health, cardiovascular diseases, maternal and offspring cardiovascular health and developmental origin. Increasing evidence demonstrates that women with pregnancy-related complications, such as preeclampsia, preterm birth and maternal hypertension, are at risk for CVD in any phase of their life. Further, maternal malnutrition plays an influential role in the progression of CVD in the adulthood of their offspring. Also, in-utero exposure to high cholesterol or maternal hypercholesterolemia can demonstrate early lesion of atherosclerosis in children. A clearer perception on how different domains of maternal health complications independently or synergistically lead to CVD or vice-versa, as well as their impact on offspring's wellbeing, is required. This will assist in developing new preventive techniques and therapeutic treatments for CVD. Texas Tech University.