Diseases in children born to mothers with preeclampsia: a population-based sibling cohort study.

Abstract

We previously reported associations between preeclampsia and the occurrence of metabolic and respiratory diseases in the offspring. In this article we examine whether the associations were due to preeclampsia or factors leading to preeclampsia. From 1978 through 2004, we identified 22,264 discordant sib-pairs in Denmark according to prenatal exposure to preeclampsia. Exposed children were compared to their unexposed siblings by using stratified Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for metabolic and respiratory diseases. Exposed children had rather similar risks for metabolic disorders compared to their unexposed siblings. However, when the second child within each sib-pair was exposed, this child had an increased risk for respiratory diseases (hazard ratio, 1.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-2.01). Factors leading to preeclampsia may shape susceptibility to metabolic or respiratory diseases in the offspring but a programming effect on respiratory diseases induced by preeclampsia cannot be ruled out.