Cardiovascular Longitudinal ALSPAC Research Investigations following hyperTensive pregnancy in Young adulthood (CLARITY)

Research summary

CLARITY is an observational study whereby participants will attend one 4-hr visit the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine,University of Oxford at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford,with the option to split the study visit over two days for convenience. Of the 200 young adults followed up from the ALSPAC study (G1 offspring cohort),100 will have been born to a hypertensive pregnancy and 100 following an uncomplicated pregnancy. At time of follow-up,they will be 30 to 40 years of age. At the 25-year follow-up in Bristol,there were 610 individuals born to hypertensive pregnancies. Of the mothers recruited from the ALSPAC cohort (G0 mothers cohort),100 will have had a hypertensive pregnancy and 100 will have had a normotensive pregnancy. A time of follow-up,they will be 30-35 years post pregnancy. Of the G0 cohort,2237 women experienced a hypertensive pregnancy. Participants will be invited by the ALSPAC study team to attend a study visit in Oxford where we will use MRI and other imaging modalities to study the brain,heart,liver,kidneys,and vasculature using our standardised protocols. A dataset including information from previous follow-up of these cohorts and the detailed pregnancy data available within ALSPAC will be generated by the study team in Bristol and integrated with available data from the Oxford cohorts. Study participants will attend for approximately a 4-hour visit on a single day or split over multiple visits,at the participants’ convenience to complete all measures. We will ask participants not to have any food or snacks at all for at least six hours before they come in for their study visit. Participants will be encouraged to drink plenty of water and we will have snacks for them during the visit. Participants will first be given the opportunity to ask any questions and will provide written consent for the study. Participants’ anthropometric measures (waist-to-hip ratio,height and weight and resting blood pressures) will then be taken,as well as a blood sample collection. After this,the participants will have an echocardiography scan and will undergo microvascular imaging (retina and ear) followed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Participants will then be asked to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. The study visit will conclude with participants being provided with a wrist-worn physical activity monitor to wear for 7-9 days following the study visit.

Principal Investigator

Prof Paul Leeson

Contact us

Email: cvm_nurses@cardiov.ox.ac.uk

IRAS number

312572