Abstract
OBJECTIVES: With the full liberalization of China's fertility policy, the gradual increase in maternal age during pregnancy, and the rising proportion of overweight and obesity among women of childbearing age, the number of pregnant women with chronic hypertension (CHTN) combined with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasing, leading to a significantly increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study aims to analyze the prevalence of CHTN and CHTN complications with GDM, and compare the adverse pregnancy outcomes between the 2 conditions, providing a basis for intervention measures. METHODS: This study was a prospective cohort study. A total of 378 366 cases from a large cohort of pregnant women between January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020 were screened to identify 1 418 cases of pregnant women with CHTN, among which 1 027 were cases of CHTN alone and 391 were cases of CHTN combined with GDM. SAS9.4 was used to statistically analyze the basic characteristics, clinical data, and pregnant outcomes of pregnant women and to analyze the risk factors affecting the pregnancy outcomes of patients with CHTN and its complications with GDM. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of CHTN with pregnancy was 3.8‰, and the prevalence rate of CHTN combined with GDM was 1.0‰. Patients with CHTN combined with GDM accounted for 27.57% (391/1 418) of all pregnant women with CHTN. Maternal age, number of pregnancies, parity, previous cesarean section, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure at the time of enrollment were statistically significant differences between the 2 groups (all P<0.05). After adjusting for potential confounding factors such as maternal age, parity, and number of pregnancies, binary Logistic regression analysis showed that pregnant women with CHTN combined with GDM had a 1.348 times higher risk of cesarean section (OR=1.348, 95% CI 1.043 to 1.741), a 2.029 times higher risk of placental adhesion (OR=2.029, 95% CI 1.190 to 3.462), a 1.540 times higher risk of preeclampsia (OR=1.540, 95% CI 1.101 to 2.152), and a 2.670 times higher risk of macrosomia (OR=2.670, 95% CI 1.398 to 5.100) compared to pregnant women with CHTN alone. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women with CHTN combined with GDM have a high risk, and their pregnancy outcomes differ from those of pregnant women with CHTN alone in terms of cesarean section, placental adhesion, preeclampsia, and macrosomia. Prenatal care for this population, especially the management of blood pressure and blood sugar, needs to be given special attention.