Author Identifier (ORCID)
Amanuel Gebremedhin: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2459-1805
Abstract
Purpose To synthesis the available research on the association between hypertensive disorders during pregnancy (HDP) and adverse cognitive outcomes in children. Methods PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycInfo were searched from inception to February 2026 to identify relevant studies. Effect estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted and pooled using inverse variance–weighted random-effects meta-analysis. Results Thirty-nine observational studies published between 1982 and 2026, covering over 12.5 million mother-offspring pairs, were included in the final analysis. The findings indicate that HDP were associated with a 39% increased risk of Intellectual Disability (ID) (OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.30–1.47) and a 51% increased risk of a low Mental Developmental Index (MDI) (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.09–2.09) in children. However, we observed no significant difference in mean Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scores between children of mothers with and without HDP (MD = −0.09, 95% CI = −0.45–0.26). Conclusions The findings highlight that exposure to HDP is associated with an increased risk of ID and low MDI in offspring. Implementing targeted early screening and intervention programs for children of mothers with HDP is essential to address these developmental challenges.
Keywords
Cognitive functioning, developmental outcomes, intellectual disability, meta-analysis, pregnancy hypertension
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
7-1-2026
Volume
119
PubMed ID
42049131
Publication Title
Annals of Epidemiology
Publisher
Elsevier
School
School of Nursing and Midwifery / Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute / School of Medical and Health Sciences
Funders
The Curtin University School of Population Health, through the Incentive Scheme (Interdisciplinary Projects), partly funded this project.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Dachew, B., Tusa, B. S., Ayano, G., Betts, K., Gebremedhin, A., Rudaizky, D., Tessema, G. A., & Alati, R. (2026). The impact of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy on cognitive outcomes in offspring: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Epidemiology, 119, 110105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2026.110105