Associations of maternal angiogenic factors during pregnancy with alterations in cardiac development in childhood at 10 years of age

Aim: To examine whether maternal angiogenic factors in the first half of pregnancy are associated with offspring left and right cardiac development.

Methods: In a population-based prospective cohort among 2,415 women and their offspring, maternal first and second trimester plasma PlGF and sFlt-1 concentrations were measured. Cardiac MRI was performed in their offspring at 10 years.

Results: Maternal angiogenic factors were not associated with childhood cardiac outcomes in the total population. In children born small-for-their-gestational-age, higher maternal first trimester PlGF concentrations were associated with a lower childhood left ventricular mass (-0.24 SDS [95%CI -0.42, -0.05 per SDS increase in maternal PlGF]), whereas higher sFlt-1 concentrations were associated with higher childhood left ventricular mass (0.22 SDS [95%CI 0.09, 0.34 per SDS increase in maternal sFlt-1]). Higher second trimester maternal sFlt-1 concentrations were also associated with higher childhood left ventricular mass (P-value <.05). In preterm born children, higher maternal first and second trimester sFlt-1/PlGF ratio were associated with higher childhood left ventricular mass (0.30 SDS [95%CI 0.01, 0.60], 0.22 SDS [95%CI -0.03, 0.40]) per SDS increase in maternal sFlt-1/PlGF ratio in first and second trimester respectively). No effects on other childhood cardiac outcomes were present within these higher-risk children.

Conclusions: In a low-risk population, maternal angiogenic factors are not associated with childhood cardiac ventricular structure, and function within the normal range. In children born small for their gestational age or preterm, an imbalance in maternal angiogenic factors in the first half of pregnancy was associated with higher childhood left ventricular mass only.