title: Maternal preeclampsia and bone mineral density of the adult offspring.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Preterm birth at very low birthweight (<1500 g) is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors and reduced bone mineral density in the adult offspring. Preeclampsia is a frequent cause of preterm birth and is also associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in the offspring. Whether it is associated with bone mineral density is not known.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated skeletal health in participants of the Helsinki Study of Very Low Birthweight Adults: 144 born at very low birthweight and 139 born at term. From the very low birthweight and term offspring a respective 32 and 11 were born from pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia. We measured bone mineral density at age 18.5 to 27.1 years by dual X-ray absorptiometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Very low birthweight adults exposed to maternal preeclampsia had higher lumbar spine Z score (mean -0.44, compared with -1.07 in very low birthweight unexposed adults, P = .002), femoral neck Z score (-0.05 vs -0.53, P = .003) and whole body bone mineral density Z score (-0.14 vs -0.72, P = .001). Corresponding Z scores for those born at term were -0.02 (preeclampsia) and -0.45 (no preeclampsia) for lumbar spine (P = .2), 0.78 and 0.08 for femoral neck (P = .02) and 0.02 and -0.31 for whole body bone mineral density Z score (P = .08). The results survived adjustment for offspring current height, body mass index, leisure time physical activity, socioeconomic position, smoking, and maternal smoking during pregnancy, and maternal prepregnancy body mass index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Young adults exposed to maternal preeclampsia have higher bone mineral density than those not exposed. This difference is seen among those born at very low birthweight and seems also to be present among those born at term.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Welfare and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Satu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miettola
authors.forename: Petteri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hovi
authors.forename: Sture
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Strang-Karlsson
authors.forename: Anneli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pouta
authors.forename: Hannele
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Laivuori
authors.forename: Anna-Liisa
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Järvenpää
authors.forename: Johan G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.forename: Outi
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mäkitie
authors.forename: Eero
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kajantie
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D032721:Adult Children; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: bone; hypertension; preeclampsia; premature birth; very-low-birthweight