Association between childhood and adulthood socioeconomic position and pregnancy induced hypertension: results from the Aberdeen children of the 1950s cohort study.
BACKGROUND
Pregnancy induced hypertension may indicate a tendency towards endothelial and metabolic abnormalities leading to future cardiovascular disease. Childhood socioeconomic adversity is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk but the association with pregnancy induced hypertension is unknown.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the association of childhood and adulthood socioeconomic position with pregnancy induced hypertension.


METHODS
Historical cohort study with record linkage to obstetric data.


METHODS
3485 women who were born in Aberdeen between 1950 and 1956 and delivered 7080 viable singleton offspring in the period up until to 1999.


METHODS
Pregnancy induced hypertension (pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension) in these women's pregnancies.


RESULTS
Neither childhood nor adulthood socioeconomic position were associated with either pre-eclampsia or gestational hypertension. The fully adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) comparing those born in manual social classes to those born in non-manual social classes for pre-eclampsia was 1.10 (0.72 to 1.73) and for gestational hypertension was 1.02 (0.83 to 1.32). Similar results comparing women in manual with non-manual social classes classified at the time of each pregnancy were 1.09 (0.73 to 1.67) for pre-eclampsia and 0.99 (0.81 to 1.30) for gestational hypertension.


CONCLUSIONS
Although imprecise these results suggest that neither childhood nor adulthood socioeconomic adversity is associated with pregnancy induced hypertension.
Lawlor
Debbie A
DA
Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2PR, UK. d.a.lawlor@bristol.ac.uk
Morton
Susan M B
SM
Nitsch
Dorothea
D
Leon
David A
DA
D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D046110:Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors