Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Adversely Affect Preemie Neurodevelopment

THURSDAY, May 1, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are associated with adverse cognitive and language development in preterm infants at 2 years” corrected age, according to a study published online April 29 in JAMA Network Open.

Shipra Jain, M.D., from the Cincinnati Children”s Hospital Medical Center, and colleagues examined the associations between maternal HDP and neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants at 2 years” corrected age in a regional prospective cohort study of 395 preterm infants from five neonatal intensive care units.

The researchers found that 170 (43 percent) of the infants were HDP-exposed, and of these, 104 (61 percent) were exposed to preeclampsia. Overall, 341 children completed the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID), Third Edition. There was a significant negative association for HDP with BSID cognitive scores and language scores (−3.69 and −4.07, respectively) in adjusted analyses. Similarly negative but greater associations were seen for preeclampsia exposure with BSID cognitive and language scores (−4.85 and −6.30, respectively). The association between HDP and cognitive scores was partially mediated by its adverse association with brain abnormalities at term-equivalent age in a mediation analysis (24 percent of the total effect).

“Maternal HDP exposure was independently and significantly associated with adverse cognitive and language outcomes at 2 years” corrected age, with greater effects in pregnancy-induced hypertension or preeclampsia-exposed infants, suggesting that abnormal placentation may lead to more pronounced neurodevelopmental impairments,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text