Scientists link higher maternal blood pressure to placental gene changes

Higher maternal blood pressure in pregnancy is associated with chemical modifications to placental genes, according to a study by researchers from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The changes involve DNA methylation, the binding of compounds known as methyl groups to DNA, which can alter a gene's activity. Exposure to high blood pressure in the womb increases the risk for impaired fetal growth and the risk for cardiovascular disease in adult life. Ultimately, the findings could yield information on the earliest origins of cardiovascular disease and how to prevent it from occurring.