Is maternal high blood pressure tied to cerebral palsy?
High blood pressure in mothers during pregnancy may raise the risk of cerebral palsy and other brain-related issues in babies, though the link is not always direct and often involves other pregnancy problems.[1] Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect a child’s movement, balance, and posture, usually caused by brain damage before, during, or shortly after birth. When a mother has high blood pressure before or during pregnancy, it can affect blood flow to the placenta, leading to less oxygen and nutrients for the baby. This might harm the baby’s developing brain.[1]
Studies show that mothers with pre-existing heart and blood vessel conditions, including high blood pressure, have children at higher risk for neurodevelopmental problems. One large study from Korea looked at health records from 2005 to 2019 and found these children had an 8 percent higher chance of such disorders compared to others.[1] The study points to issues like poor placental function and inflammation as possible reasons. High blood pressure can cause preeclampsia or eclampsia, which are serious conditions with swelling in the brain and damaged blood vessels. These can disrupt normal brain blood flow and lead to problems like seizures or lasting brain changes in both mother and baby.[2]
In low-resource areas, factors tied to high blood pressure, such as birth complications and lack of oxygen at birth, often link to more severe cerebral palsy. Babies not crying at birth or having brain oxygen shortages show stronger ties to movement problems later.[3] While not every case of maternal high blood pressure leads to cerebral palsy, the pattern holds in several studies from different countries. For example, research from Sweden and Canada found kids of mothers with heart issues had higher risks of conditions like ADHD, which shares some brain development pathways with cerebral palsy.[1]
Treating high blood pressure early with safe medicines and monitoring can help lower risks. Doctors now use tools like AI to spot preeclampsia sooner and prevent worse outcomes.[2] Still, more research is needed since most studies look at groups, not every single case, and other factors like obesity or preterm birth play roles too.[6]
Sources
https://academic.oup.com/hropen/article/2025/4/hoaf074/8342467
https://www.medlink.com/articles/seizures-associated-with-eclampsia
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12748543/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12729071/
https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jcv2.70080
https://www.endocrinologyadvisor.com/news/maternal-obesity-neurodevelopmental-disorders/
