High blood pressure in pregnancy linked to increased risk of seizure in children
A new study has revealed a significant association between high blood pressure during pregnancy (gestational hypertension) and an increased risk of seizures in children. The findings also suggest that inflammation in the brain may play a role in connecting gestational hypertension to seizure risk and could potentially be targeted to prevent seizures in children exposed to hypertension in the womb.
The study analyzed data from the Epic Cosmos dataset, which includes over 246 million patient records from hospitals and clinics across the United States and Lebanon. The researchers found that children born to mothers with high blood pressure during pregnancy had significantly higher rates of seizures compared to those born to mothers with normal blood pressure.
To explore the underlying biological mechanisms linking high blood pressure in pregnancy to increased seizure risk in offspring, the researchers used two complementary mouse models of gestational hypertension. These models confirmed that exposure to gestational hypertension in the womb increased seizure sensitivity and death of offspring due to seizures. The mouse models also identified neuroinflammation as playing a significant role in the disease process, and highlighted sex-specific differences, with male offspring showing greater vulnerability to seizures.
“This study is unique because you have an association drawn from analyses of large clinical databases, but then we go on to prove the association with animal models,” says Vinit Mahajan, MD, PhD, at Stanford University and a co-author on the study. “We were even able to reduce seizures in mouse offspring with anti-inflammatory drugs based on what we learned from the model.”
The team hopes the new understanding of the link between high blood pressure in pregnancy and pediatric seizures in offspring will open new avenues for research.
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