Background: Several studies have investigated the association between maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and the risk of elevated blood pressure in offspring, but findings have been inconsistent. Objective: This study aimed to examine the association between maternal GDM and offspring’s hypertension risk from 6 to 8 years of age. Methods: A total of 1,156 mother-child pairs (578 with GDM and 578 without GDM) were followed longitudinally at a mean of 5.9 ± 1.2 years postpartum. Of these, 912 pairs (486 GDM and 426 non-GDM) remained at a follow-up conducted at 8.3 ± 1.6 years postpartum. Childhood blood pressure was measured using standardized protocols. Results: At 5.9 years of age, children born to mothers with GDM had significantly higher mean value of systolic blood pressure Z scores compared to those born to mothers with normal glucose levels during pregnancy (0.05 vs. −0.21, P < 0.001). After adjusting for multiple variables, children of mothers with GDM had higher odds ratios of hypertension (OR 1.80, 95% confidence intervals CI: 1.73–1.86) and high blood pressure (OR 1.56, 95% CI: 1.06–2.31). At 8.3 years of age, the association between maternal GDM and childhood high blood pressure became stronger. Adjusted odds ratios were 2.89 (95% CI: 2.14–3.90) for hypertension and 2.16 (95% CI: 1.04–4.78) for high blood pressure. Conclusions: Maternal GDM was an independent risk factor for childhood hypertension at both 5.9 and 8.3 years of age. The strength of this association increased with the child’s age.
Hu et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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