 |
|
Prepregnancy Obesity as a Risk Factor for Structural Birth Defects
D. Kim Waller, PhD;
Gary M. Shaw, DrPH;
Sonja A. Rasmussen, MD, MS;
Charlotte A. Hobbs, MD, PhD;
Mark A. Canfield, PhD;
Anna-Maria Siega-Riz, PhD;
M. Shayne Gallaway, MPH;
Adolfo Correa, MD, MPH, PhD; for the National Birth Defects Prevention Study
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(8):745-750.
Objective To describe the relation between maternal obesity, overweight and underweight status, and 16 categories of structural birth defects.
Design An ongoing multisite, case-control study. Clinical geneticists reviewed all of the cases, excluding those that had or were strongly suspected to have a single-gene disorder or chromosomal abnormality. Mothers with preexisting diabetes were also excluded. Body mass index was based on maternal report of height and weight prior to pregnancy.
Setting Eight participating states in the United States.
Participants Mothers enrolled in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study who had index pregnancies between October 1, 1997, and December 31, 2002.
Main Exposure Maternal obesity.
Main Outcome Measures Crude and adjusted odds ratios.
Results Mothers of offspring with spina bifida, heart defects, anorectal atresia, hypospadias, limb reduction defects, diaphragmatic hernia, and omphalocele were significantly more likely to be obese than mothers of controls, with odds ratios ranging between 1.33 and 2.10. Mothers of offspring with gastroschisis were significantly less likely to be obese than mothers of controls.
Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first population-based study of its scale to examine prepregnancy obesity and a range of structural birth defects. These results suggest a weak to moderate positive association of maternal obesity with 7 of 16 categories of birth defects and a strong inverse association with gastroschisis. The mechanisms underlying these associations are not yet understood but may be related to undiagnosed diabetes.
Author Affiliations: School of Public Health, Houston Health Science Center, University of Texas, Houston (Dr Waller and Mr Gallaway); March of Dimes, California Birth Defects Monitoring Program, Berkeley (Dr Shaw); National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia (Drs Rasmussen and Correa); College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, Little Rock (Dr Hobbs); Birth Defects Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch, Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin (Dr Canfield); and Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology, University of North Carolina School of Public Health, Chapel Hill (Dr Siega-Riz).
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
Risk of Oral Clefts in Relation to Prepregnancy Weight Change and Interpregnancy Interval
Villamor et al.
Am J Epidemiol 2008;167:1305-1311.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Secondary Effects of Antipsychotics: Women at Greater Risk Than Men
Seeman
Schizophr Bull 2008;0:sbn023v1-sbn023.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Genes in Glucose Metabolism and Association With Spina Bifida
Davidson et al.
Reproductive Sciences 2008;15:51-58.
ABSTRACT
Maternal Obesity Is a Risk Factor for Birth Defects
JWatch Pediatrics 2007;2007:5-5.
FULL TEXT
Maternal Obesity Increases Risk for Birth Defects
JWatch General 2007;2007:1-1.
FULL TEXT
|
