Offspring of women with hyperemesis gravidarum are more likely to have cardiovascular abnormalities

Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a severe form of pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting affecting 0.3–2.3% of pregnancies, which can lead to fluid, electrolyte, and acid–base imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, and weight loss, and is usually severe enough to require hospitalization. Abnormally elevated urinary ketones are commonly seen in patients with HG, and ketone bodies are free to pass through the placenta, and maternal hyperketonemia, with or without acidosis, is associated with an increased rate of stillbirth, an increased incidence of congenital anomalies, and impaired neurophysiologic development of the infant. This study investigates the obstetric outcomes of patients with HG and whether HG increases the incidence of cardiovascular disease in the offspring.

This study included 1020 pregnant women who were hospitalized in our hospital for HG and ultimately delivered in our hospital as well as pregnant women without HG in early gestation and delivered in our hospital from January 2019-January 2020, and we collected and followed up the clinical information of the pregnant women and their offspring.

Pregnant women with HG were more likely to have severe urinary ketones, the rate of early miscarriage and mid-term miscarriage was significantly higher in women with HG compared to pregnant women without HG. Fetal and neonatal head and abdominal circumferences were smaller in HG group than in control group.

Neonatal birth weight and length were also lower in the HG group and cardiovascular anomalies were more likely to occur in the offspring of women with HG when all births were followed up for 3 years.

HG may cause poor obstetric outcomes and was associated with the development of cardiovascular disease in the offspring of women with HG.