Five-year follow-up of blood pressure and left ventricular mass in children with different maternal histories of hypertension

OBJECTIVE: To follow the changes in blood pressure and echocardiographically determined left ventricular mass in offspring of mothers who had hypertension during pregnancy. DESIGN: Longitudinal study with a 5-year follow-up. METHODS: Nineteen offspring of mothers who had hypertension during pregnancy, and sustained hypertension at follow-up 7-12 years after term, were examined, by blood pressure measurement and M-mode echocardiography, at a mean age of 12.8 years (range 10.6-16.4) and were re-examined 5.6 years later. For comparison, 17 children born to mothers who had hypertension during pregnancy, but were normotensive at follow-up, were also examined. A control group of children born following a normotensive pregnancy was also recruited. Comparisons were made by analysis of variance among the three groups. RESULTS: At the initial examination systolic blood pressure was significantly higher in the children born to mothers who had hypertension during pregnancy and were hypertensive at follow-up. This difference persisted in the adolescents at follow-up. No differences among the three groups in echocardiographically determined left ventricular mass were seen, either at the initial examination or at follow-up. There was a significant correlation between left ventricular masses determined 5 years apart (r = 0.53, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The present longitudinal study demonstrates that offspring of mothers with hypertension during pregnancy, that was sustained at follow-up, have higher blood pressure than controls. Children with different maternal histories of hypertension maintain their rank with regard to left ventricular mass during adolescence.