According to a study published in The BMJ, excessively high blood pressure during pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of infant and early adult mortality.

A total of 102,095 children out of the 2,437,718 offspring included in the analysis were exposed to a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP) before birth, including 33,733 (1.4%) being exposed to hypertension and 68,362 (2.8%) to pre-eclampsia or eclampsia. Deaths occurred in 781 offspring born to pre-eclamptic mothers, 17 born to eclamptic mothers, 223 born to mothers with hypertension, and 19,119 born to mothers without HDP throughout an average 19-year follow-up period. 

It was observed that HDP-exposed kids had 26% greater chances of death compared to HDP-unexposed offspring. Pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, and hypertension all carried a higher risk of 29%, 188%, and 12%, respectively.

Further, offspring of mothers with early onset and severe pre-eclampsia, or with both HDP and a history of diabetes, or with both HDP and a poor level of education were at higher risk.

The study offers compelling evidence that maternal HDP, particularly severe pre-eclampsia, HELLP (haemolysis, high liver enzymes, and low platelets) syndrome, and eclampsia, is linked to an increased risk of overall and cause-specific mortality in offspring from birth through young adulthood and more studies were necessary to understand the same.

(Source: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20221020/Study-shows-increased-risks-of-death-in-offspring-born-to-mothers-with-hypertensive-disorder-of-pregnancy.aspx)