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Preeclampsia linked to elevated blood pressure in children - pregnancy complications - Brief Article

Children born to mothers who experienced preeclampsia during pregnancy had elevated blood pressure and increased adrenaline levels, according to a March 25, 2003, news release from the Endocrine Society. Finnish researchers studied 120 12-year-old children, 60 of whom were born after preeclamptic pregnancies and 60 control group participants born after pregnancies that did not include this complication. The groups were matched for gender, gestational age, and size at birth.

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Researchers measured blood pressure and concentrations of blood glucose, fasting insulin in the blood, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, epinephrine (ie, adrenaline), and norepinephrine. They found that blood pressure and epinephrine levels differed between the two groups. The researchers speculate that endocrine programming is a factor in the relationship between mothers who experience preeclampsia and children with elevated blood pressure. Other factors may include genetic predisposition and influences of retarded intrauterine growth.

Preeclampsia occurs in at least 5% of all pregnancies. Risk factors for preeclampsia include a history of high blood pressure and a body mass index of 30 or higher. The condition is characterized by high blood pressure, swelling, and protein in the urine.

Research Shows Connection Between Preeclamptic Pregnancies and High Blood Pressure in Children (news release, Bethesda, Md: The Endocrine Society, March 25, 2003).

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Preeclampsia linked to elevated blood pressure in children - pregnancy complications - Brief Article

AORN Journal, May, 2003

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