CHILDREN born to mothers who experienced preeclampsia during term pregnancies face a significantly higher risk of developing kidney disease later in life, according to a nationwide cohort study from Denmark.
The register-based study analysed health data from over 2.2 million individuals born between 1978 and 2017. Of these, more than 63,000 were exposed to maternal preeclampsia. During a follow-up period totalling over 43 million person-years, nearly 38,000 individuals developed kidney disease.
The study found that term-born offspring (≥37 weeks’ gestation) exposed to preeclampsia had a 26% higher risk of developing kidney disease during infancy compared to those not exposed. The elevated risk extended beyond infancy, with increased rates across nearly all kidney disease subtypes, including chronic and diabetic kidney disease. The strongest associations were observed after age 25, with hazard ratios reaching 2.85 for diabetic kidney disease.
Interestingly, preterm exposure to preeclampsia did not show a sustained increase in kidney disease risk beyond the first year of life, suggesting that the long-term renal effects of preeclampsia may differ based on gestational age at delivery.
These findings suggest that preeclampsia may independently contribute to kidney disease risk, apart from the established impacts of preterm birth. The authors emphasised the importance of recognising early-life exposures that may influence long-term renal health and called for further research into the mechanisms linking maternal health during pregnancy to offspring organ development and disease susceptibility.
This study adds to growing evidence that maternal conditions during pregnancy can have lasting consequences for offspring health, and may support targeted monitoring of individuals exposed to preeclampsia at term as part of preventive kidney care strategies.
Reference
Lihme I et al. A nationwide register-based cohort study examined the association between preeclampsia in mothers and the risk of kidney disease in their offspring. Kidney Int. 2025;DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2025.04.017.
