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High maternal blood pressure could decrease child's IQ later in life: Study

Written by: QMI Agency
Oct. 4, 2012

(File Photo)

High blood pressure during pregnancy can cause the baby to have a lower IQ in old age, a new study suggests.

Researchers from the University of Helsinki in Finland studied nearly 400 men and found those with moms who had high blood pressure during pregnancy scored 4.36 points lower on thinking ability tests at age 69 compared to those whose moms had no hypertension issues.

During tests at the age of 20, declines were also found but scores got worse with time. Researchers found the men born to women who had high blood pressure during pregnancy scored the worst on math-related questions.

Premature birth didn't affect the results and it didn't matter whether the baby's father was a manual labourer or an office worker, the study says.

The findings were published Wednesday in the online journal Neurology.

 

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