TOPLINE:
Children whose mothers have a hypertensive disorder in pregnancy (HDP) may have an increased risk for strabismus, including exophoria and intermittent exotropia, new research shows. Preeclampsia and poorly controlled blood pressure may confer the greatest risk.
METHODOLOGY:
- Researchers in China conducted a population-based cohort study involving 3117 children born between 2014 and 2018.
- Examinations were performed at age 3 years to assess ocular alignment using assessments such as the Hirschberg light reflex and cover-uncover tests.
- Maternal hypertensive disorders included hypertension and preeclampsia.
- The researchers defined poorly controlled blood pressure as a systolic blood pressure of ≥ 130 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure of ≥ 80 mm Hg.
- The researchers used Poisson generalized linear mixed models to estimate the relative risks for strabismus overall and for specific types of the disorder.
TAKEAWAY:
- The researchers found 4.6% of the children were exposed to maternal HDP, and 11.8% had strabismus.
- Children exposed to maternal hypertensive disorders had an 82% increased risk for strabismus overall (relative risk [RR], 1.82; 95% CI, 1.21-2.74).
- The risk for exophoria was 82% higher and the risk for intermittent exotropia risk was 136% higher in children exposed to maternal hypertensive disorders.
- Preeclampsia and poorly controlled blood pressure were associated with the highest risk for strabismus (RR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.37-4.39).
IN PRACTICE:
"Offspring born to mothers with HDP might be recommended for early screening of strabismus, especially those with maternal preeclampsia or poorly controlled BP," the authors of the study wrote.
SOURCE:
Jiangbo Du, PhD, and Hu Liu, PhD, at Nanjing Medical University in Nanjing, China, were the corresponding authors on the paper. It was published online on July 22, 2024, in JAMA Network Open.
LIMITATIONS:
The number of children with exposure to maternal hypertensive disorders and strabismus was relatively small. The study relied on blood pressure measurements taken during labor, which may not reflect variations throughout pregnancy. Residual confounding factors, such exposures in the environment and family history of strabismus, may also exist, the authors noted.
DISCLOSURES:
The study was supported by grants from the National Key Research & Development Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.