Skip to main content

Early Pregnancy BP Trajectories Linked to New-Onset HTN Years Later

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on April 17, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, April 17, 2025 -- Early pregnancy blood pressure (BP) trajectories are associated with new-onset hypertension up to 14 years later, according to a study published online April 2 in Hypertension.

James M. Roberts, M.D., from the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study involving 174,774 women without prior hypertension, kidney, liver, or heart disease, or history of preeclampsia. New-onset hypertension was identified from two months through 14 years postdelivery (2009 to 2023). Six BP trajectory (BPT) groups were identified, capturing both BP levels and slopes from 0 to 20 weeks' gestation.

The researchers found that within each hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) group, BPTs were associated with an increasing gradient of hypertension risk after pregnancy. Preeclampsia and gestational hypertension groups had higher adjusted hazard ratios than the no HDP group. Compared with the lowest BPTs of the no HDP group, from the lowest to highest BPT groups, hazard ratios varied from 2.91 to 27.31 for preeclampsia, from 4.20 to 27.81 for gestational hypertension, and from 2.92 to 10.96 for no HDP.

"We think that fine-tuned BPT groups may provide additional information to improve risk prediction later in life as part of current risk assessment tools and the 10-year cardiovascular disease prediction models for individual risk stratification beyond the history of HDP that may be a crude marker of underlying vascular dysfunction that can vary widely among individuals," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted April 2025

Read this next

Many ADHD Medications Lead to Increases in Blood Pressure and Heart Rate

MONDAY, April 21, 2025 -- Many pharmacological treatments for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) lead to increases in hemodynamic signs, including blood pressure and...

Relaxation, Stress Management Have Short-Term Benefit for Hypertension

FRIDAY, April 11, 2025 -- Relaxation and stress management techniques have short-term beneficial effects for people with hypertension, according to a systematic review and network...

ACC: Microplastic Exposure Tied to Chronic Disease Prevalence

WEDNESDAY, April 2, 2025 -- Microplastic exposure may increase the risk for chronic diseases, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.