Background: To evaluate the impact of the expectant management of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy on infant neurodevelopmental outcome.
Methods: The two-year neurodevelopmental outcome of infants delivered prematurely because of complications of maternal hypertension after expectant management was compared with that of infants of uncomplicated age-matched pregnancies delivered after spontaneous preterm labor or premature rupture of membranes.
Results: The rate of cerebral palsy was similar between the two groups. Conditional logistic regression analysis of the matched sets showed an increased risk of minor neurodevelopmental impairment among infants delivered after severe hypertension (odds ratio (OR) = 4.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.34-12.1) or preeclampsia (OR = 4.0, 95% CI = 1.61-10.2). Fetal growth retardation was not associated with increasing infant neurodevelopmental morbidity.
Conclusions: Infants delivered prematurely because of preeclampsia or severe hypertension are at increased risk of later minor neurodevelopmental problems.