Association of intrauterine exposure to aspirin and blood pressure at 7 years of age: a secondary analysis.

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether maternal aspirin use during pregnancy is associated with childhood blood pressure.

DESIGN/

SETTING

A secondary analysis of the Collaborative Perinatal Project, a prospective cohort study including 12 US academic medical centres between 1959 and 1976.

POPULATION: Singleton births among women with detailed medication information.

METHODS

We carried out linear and multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess the associations between maternal aspirin exposure and childhood blood pressure at age 7 years.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Offspring blood pressure at age 7 years.

RESULTS

A total of 15 793 women were exposed to aspirin 4 weeks before the last menstrual period or during pregnancy. In utero aspirin exposure may be associated with an 11% (95% CI 0.85- 0.93) and a 20% (95% CI 0.76-0.84) reduced risk of having high systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at 7 years of age, and a mean decrease of 0.62 mmHg for SBP and 1.04 mmHg for DBP at 7 years of age. Compared with children born to mothers without aspirin exposure, those whose mothers were exposed to aspirin for at least 7 days during pregnancy had approximately 10% and 27% reduced risk of high SBP and DBP, respectively, and a mean reduction of 0.61 and 1.27 mmHg in SBP and DBP at 7 years of age. The earlier the aspirin exposure occurred during pregnancy, the lower the risk of childhood high blood pressure.

CONCLUSION

In utero exposure to aspirin may have long-term benefits for childhood blood pressure.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Maternal aspirin exposure might decrease the risk of childhood blood pressure.