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Do lower antenatal blood pressure cut-offs in pregnant women with obesity identify those at greater risk of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes? A secondary analysis of data from the UK Pregnancies Better Eating and Activity Trial (UPBEAT)

Lookup NU author(s): Gayle Gills, Alison Rennie, Andrea Fenn, Dr Fiona CampbellORCiD, Clare Boag, Jill Riches, Alison Kimber, Dr Nicola Miller, Catherine McParlin, Dr Tarja Kinnunen, Dr Louise HayesORCiD, Dr Ruth Bell

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Abstract

© The Author(s) 2025. Background: Obesity is a major risk-factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes. While the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) classification of normal and abnormal blood pressure (BP) outside pregnancy has been suggested for use in pregnancy, the impact on adverse outcomes has not been examined specifically in women with obesity. Methods: The UK Pregnancies Better Eating and Activity Trial (UPBEAT) enroled women with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2. In secondary analyses, maximal antenatal BP was categorised by 2017 ACC/AHA criteria: ‘Normal’ BP (systolic [sBP] <120 mmHg and diastolic [dBP] <80 mmHg), ‘Elevated’ BP (sBP 120–129 mmHg and dBP <80 mmHg), ‘Stage 1 hypertension’ (sBP 130–139 mmHg and/or dBP 80-89 mmHg), and ‘Stage 2 hypertension’ (sBP ≥140 mmHg and/or dBP ≥90 mmHg, non-severe [sBP 140-159 mmHg and/or dBP 90–109 mmHg] and severe (sBP ≥160 mmHg and/or dBP ≥110 mmHg). Main outcomes were preterm birth, postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), birthweight <10th centile (small-for-gestational age, SGA), and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission. Associations with adverse outcomes were adjusted for UPBEAT intervention, maternal age, booking BMI, ethnicity, parity, smoking, alcohol, and previous pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes. Diagnostic test properties (positive and negative likelihood ratios, -LR and +LR) were assessed as individual categories (vs. ‘Normal’ BP), and as threshold values. Results: Severe ‘Stage 2 hypertension’ (vs. BP < 160/110 mmHg) was associated with PPH (RR 2.57 (1.35, 4.86)) and SGA (RR 2.52 (1.05, 6.07)) only in unadjusted analyses. No outcomes were associated with ‘Stage 1 hypertension’ or ‘Elevated BP’. All +LR were <5.0 and -LR ≥ 0.20, indicating that no BP threshold was useful as a diagnostic test to detect preterm birth, PPH, SGA, or NICU admission. Conclusions: Among pregnant women with obesity, we found no evidence that lowering the antenatal BP considered to be abnormal (from 140/90 mmHg) would assist in identifying women and babies at risk.

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Author(s): Slade L, Syeda N, Mistry HD, Bone JN, Wilson M, Blackman M, Poston L, Godfrey KM, von Dadelszen P, Magee LA, Catalano P, Kenyon S, Jackson P, Rajasingham D, Goldberg G, Nelson-Piercy C, Amiel S, Greenwood L, Canadine S, Robinson S, Godfrey K, Broomfield L, Croker H, Wardle J, Smith M, Cousins E, Fernandez P, Brown D, Khalil A, Todd M, Wood D, Eadle J, Syson J, Butterfield G, Jones V, Farrar D, Knight J, Campbell G, Hinshaw K, Brown J, Hughes C, Grimshaw R, Lee S, Patterson N, Whitworth M, Cherry L, Welsh P, Miller S, Rooney L, Bett S, Fernon M, Clements S, Johnston J, Paterson K, Alba H, McSorley T, Nelson S, Sattar N, Carr R, Gills G, Durkin R, Rennie A, Ritson S, Fenn A, Campbell F, Boag C, Allen C, Riches J, Kimber A, Miller N, McParlin C, Kinnunen T, Hayes L, Bell R, Robson S, Hagg L, Gutzwiller G, de la Llera A, O'Donnell S, Evans Y, O'Connor S, Demilew J, Oteng-Ntim E, Khazaezadeh N, Pasupathy D, Vieira M, Maitland R, Butler J, Lawley E, Adegoke F, Boylen C, Ignatian AS, Gill C, Ricketts D, Tekletdadik T, Lucas A, Tarft H, Scholtz L, Fetherstone J, Filmer J, Hunt C, Goff L, Holmes B, Barr S, Badger S, Flynn A, Patel N, Sanders T, Sandall J, Seed P, Singh C, Briley A, Poston L, Shennan A

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: International Journal of Obesity

Year: 2025

Pages: Epub ahead of print

Online publication date: 16/06/2025

Acceptance date: 30/04/2025

Date deposited: 10/07/2025

ISSN (print): 0307-0565

ISSN (electronic): 1476-5497

Publisher: Springer Nature

URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-025-01803-8

DOI: 10.1038/s41366-025-01803-8

Data Access Statement: The datasets analysed during the current study are available in from the UPBEAT Consortium. https://www.medscinet.net/upbeat/default.aspx.

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