title: A lower reduction in umbilical artery pulsatility in mid-pregnancy predicts higher infant blood pressure six months after birth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Norwegian-based Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Diet in Pregnancy study found that a cholesterol-lowering diet during pregnancy was associated with an accentuated reduction in the umbilical artery pulsatility index. This follow-up study assessed the possible association between the index and the infants' blood pressure at six months of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the original study, pregnant women consumed an anti-atherogenic or usual diet from gestational weeks 17-20 to birth and underwent Doppler velocimetry at 24, 30 and 36 gestational weeks. In this follow-up study, blood pressure was measured in 105 mother-infant pairs in the intervention group and 106 mother-infant pairs in the control group six months after birth.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were not significantly different between both groups. When the groups were combined, multivariate linear analyses showed that a lower versus higher reduction (≥-0.17 versus <-0.17) in the umbilical artery pulsatility index between gestational weeks 24 and 30 and maternal diastolic blood pressure at six months postpartum were significant predictors of higher infant systolic blood pressure (p = 0.03, 0.01, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A lower reduction in umbilical pulsatility index in mid-pregnancy was associated with higher infant blood pressure at six months of age. This suggests that fetoplacental intrauterine factors may influence future cardiovascular risk.
authors: Division of Women and Children, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.|Bryn Medical Center, Oslo, Norway.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Khoury
authors: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Knutsen
authors: Division of Women and Children, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.|Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Stray-Pedersen
authors: Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.|Section of Congenital Heart Disease, Division of Women and Children, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Thaulow
authors: Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.|Section for Preventive Cardiology, Department of Endocrinology, Morbid Obesity and Preventive Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Tonstad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000187:drug effects*; D014469:Umbilical Arteries / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary
keywords: Blood pressure; Cardiovascular risk; Diet; Doppler; Umbilical artery