How treating mild high blood pressure in pregnancy affects women's long-term heart health
Official title: Pregnancy as a Window to the Future: Outcomes of Antihypertensive Therapy and Superimposed Preeclampsia in Pregnant Women with Mild Chronic Hypertension (CHAP Maternal Follow-up Study)
Funded at University of Alabama at Birmingham · NIH-11171373 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether taking blood pressure medicine during pregnancy and developing superimposed preeclampsia change long-term heart and health outcomes for women who had mild chronic high blood pressure while pregnant.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2014 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $2,007,149 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL120338-11 |
| Project ID | NIH-11171373 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are women who had mild chronic high blood pressure during pregnancy and especially those who were enrolled in the original CHAP trial.
✕Less likely to help
People without a history of chronic hypertension during pregnancy, men, or those not part of the CHAP follow-up are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
This follow-up tracks women who took part in the CHAP trial to see how their health fared years after their pregnancy. Researchers will compare long-term outcomes like heart disease, stroke, and metabolic conditions in women who used antihypertensive drugs early in pregnancy versus those who did not, and in women who developed superimposed preeclampsia versus those who did not. Data will come from clinic visits, medical records, questionnaires, and routine lab or health measures collected during follow-up. The goal is to clarify whether pregnancy treatment choices and pregnancy complications affect future cardiovascular risk so clinicians can give better advice.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the results could help doctors and patients make clearer choices about blood pressure treatment during pregnancy to lower future heart disease risk.
How similar studies have gone: The original CHAP randomized trial showed short-term benefits and safety of treating mild chronic hypertension during pregnancy, but long-term impacts remain largely untested and this follow-up is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tita, Alan Thevenet N. — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Tita, Alan Thevenet N.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Children's long-term health after treating chronic hypertension in pregnancy
This grant studies how giving antihypertensive medicine during pregnancy for women with chronic high blood pressure affects their children’s health as they grow up.
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Understanding how blood pressure medicine during pregnancy affects children's development and growth
This project looks at how blood pressure medication taken by mothers during pregnancy, or developing preeclampsia, might affect their children's brain development and growth as they get older.
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Ethical, multimodal AI for predicting preeclampsia risk in early pregnancy
A data-driven AI tool uses early-pregnancy information from medical records, ultrasound, and notes to predict preeclampsia risk and support safer pregnancy care.
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Dynamic risk prediction and subtyping of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy
A digital health approach uses AI to spot early warning signs of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension from pregnancy data, so clinicians can tailor care for pregnant people.
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Multilevel, patient-centered plan to prevent high blood pressure in pregnancy
A multilevel, patient-centered plan aims to help high-risk pregnant people prevent hypertension during pregnancy using aspirin, BP monitoring, and community support.
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Understanding how genes and environment interact to cause preeclampsia and later high blood pressure in mothers
This project looks at why some pregnancies develop preeclampsia and how it relates to long-term blood pressure and heart health in mothers.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.