Maternal Gestational Diabetes Is Associated with Offspring's Hypertension

OBJECTIVE Several studies assessed maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with the risk of childhood high blood pressure, and the results were inconsistent. We investigated the association between maternal GDM and hypertension risk in offspring during early childhood. METHODS We performed a large study in 1,156 mother-child pairs (578 GDM and 578 non-GDM matched by their offspring's age and sex). Maternal GDM was diagnosed according to the World Health Organization criteria. Childhood height, weight, and blood pressure were measured using standardized methods. Age-, sex-, and height-specific blood pressure Z score, childhood hypertension, and high blood pressure were evaluated according to the reference range of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group on High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. RESULTS After adjustment for maternal and children's characteristics, children born to mothers with GDM during pregnancy had higher mean values of systolic blood pressure Z score (0.09 vs.-0.17), and higher prevalence of hypertension (6.4% vs. 3.5%) and high blood pressure (15.6% vs. 9.3%) in comparison with their counterparts born to mothers without GDM during pregnancy (all P values <0.05). Multivariable-adjusted odds ratios among children of mothers with GDM compared with children of mothers without GDM were 2.32 (95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.16-4.62) for hypertension and 1.89 (95% CI 1.24-2.86) for high blood pressure, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Maternal GDM was associated with an increased risk of hypertension in the offspring. Controlling maternal GDM may be important for preventing childhood hypertension in the affected offspring.