Prenatal High Blood Pressure Tied to Greater Seizure Risk in Children, New Research Finds
A groundbreaking study has uncovered a strong connection between maternal high blood pressure during pregnancy and an increased likelihood of seizures in their children—potentially due to inflammation affecting early brain development.
Elevated Blood Pressure in Pregnancy Linked to Childhood Seizures
According to a study released on June 16, 2025, in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, children born to mothers who experienced hypertension while pregnant were found to have a significantly higher risk of developing seizures. Researchers suggest this may be driven by inflammation in the developing brain—offering a new pathway for potential prevention.
“This research stands out because we linked large-scale human data with experimental findings in animals,” explained Dr. Vinit Mahajan, professor of ophthalmology at Stanford University and co-author of the study. “What’s more, we discovered that treating mice with anti-inflammatory medications actually reduced seizure activity in their offspring.”
Study Design: Clinical and Experimental Approaches
The research team examined over 7 million health records from the Epic Cosmos database, focusing on patients who had at least one in-person medical encounter over a two-year period between 2011 and 2023. Using standardized diagnostic codes, they identified cases of maternal hypertension and childhood seizures, as well as associated health issues like obesity, diabetes, and developmental delays.
To strengthen their findings, the team also analyzed two additional datasets:
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The Intergenerational Health Knowledgebase (case-control study)
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Stanford Electronic Health Records (validation cohort study)
How Hypertension and Seizures Were Defined
The analysis covered multiple types of hypertension, including:
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Chronic high blood pressure
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Gestational hypertension
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Preeclampsia
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Unclassified maternal hypertension
Child seizure outcomes were defined as:
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Epilepsy or recurrent seizures
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Neonatal convulsions
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Unclassified involuntary movements
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Episodes of altered awareness before age 18
Findings: Risk of Seizure Is Significantly Higher
Among 7,257,078 children analyzed, 229,357 were diagnosed with some form of seizure disorder. Children exposed to prenatal hypertension had a 3.68% seizure rate, compared to 3.04% in children without such exposure. This translated to a 22% increased odds (OR 1.22) of developing seizures.
Further comparisons showed:
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Obesity in hypertensive mothers: 43% vs. 16.3% in normotensive mothers
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Diabetes in hypertensive mothers: 20.4% vs. 8.4%
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Developmental delays in children: 10.3% vs. 7.7%
Consistent trends were seen in additional datasets, with adjusted odds ratios for seizure risk ranging from 1.13 to 1.36, reinforcing the strength of the association.
Mouse Model Confirms the Human Link
Animal studies provided further validation. Female mice were induced with hypertension during pregnancy using angiotensin 2. Their offspring showed more frequent and severe seizures. However, administering anti-inflammatory treatments—specifically PLX5622, a CSF1R inhibitor—significantly reduced seizure occurrence by eliminating overactive microglia.
“This opens the door to innovative pediatric seizure treatments targeting inflammation,” said Dr. Baojian Xue, lead author and pediatric researcher at the University of Iowa.
Conclusion: A New Direction for Prevention
The evidence points to a clear link between maternal hypertension and childhood seizure risk, likely mediated through neuroinflammatory pathways. Researchers hope this discovery will lead to early interventions and new therapies aimed at protecting the developing brain during pregnancy.
Sources
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University of Iowa Health Care. (June 16, 2025). High blood pressure in pregnancy linked to increased seizure risk in children
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Xue B, Gumusoglu SB, Tiarks G, et al. Gestational hypertension increases risk of seizures in children and mice. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2025. doi:10.1172/JCI183393
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