Maternal body mass index: relation with infant respiratory symptoms and infections

Rajappan, A., Pearce, A. , Inskip, H. M., Baird, J., Crozier, S. R., Cooper, C., Godfrey, K. M., Roberts, G., Lucas, J. S.A. and Pike, K. C. (2017) Maternal body mass index: relation with infant respiratory symptoms and infections. Pediatric Pulmonology, 52(10), pp. 1291-1299. (doi: 10.1002/ppul.23779) (PMID:28816002) (PMCID:PMC5612396)

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Abstract

Background: Maternal obesity is increasingly prevalent in many westernized countries. Many studies report associations between maternal obesity and childhood wheeze or asthma but few have considered maternal obesity in relation to respiratory infections or symptoms other than wheeze during infancy. This study assesses the relationship between maternal BMI and reported wheeze, cough and respiratory infections during the first year of life. Methods: In 2799 mother-child pairs, we examined the relations between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and pregnancy weight gain and reported offspring wheeze, prolonged cough, lower respiratory tract infection, croup, and ear infection before age 1 year, along with reported diarrhea or vomiting. Maternally reported paternal BMI was included in the models as a proxy for unmeasured confounding by shared familial factors. Results: Higher maternal BMI was associated with increased risks of offspring wheeze, prolonged cough and lower respiratory tract infection (relative risks (95%CI) per 5 kg/m 1.09 (1.05-1.13), 1.09 (1.03-1.14), and 1.13 (1.07-1.20), respectively). These associations remained after adjusting for maternally reported paternal BMI. No associations were found with croup, ear infection, or diarrhea or vomiting. Pregnancy weight gain was not associated with any of the offspring symptoms or illnesses. Discussion: Higher maternal BMI is associated with increased risk of wheeze, cough, and maternally reported lower respiratory tract infection in infancy. These associations were independent of maternally reported paternal BMI. These observations might be explained by intrauterine effects of maternal obesity upon respiratory or immune development.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:The research was supported by providing infrastructure by the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. Questionnaires and field work were conducted by the Southampton Women's Survey Study Group. This work within the Southampton Women's Survey has been funded by grants from the Medical Research Council (MC_U147585827, MC_ST_U12055), British Heart Foundation (RG/07/009), Food Standards Agency (contract no N05071), Dunhill Medical Trust, the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007‐2013), (projects: Early Nutrition and ODIN under grant agreement numbers 289346 and 613977), and Dr Katharine Pike was supported by a grant from the British Lung Foundation.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Pearce, Dr Anna
Authors: Rajappan, A., Pearce, A., Inskip, H. M., Baird, J., Crozier, S. R., Cooper, C., Godfrey, K. M., Roberts, G., Lucas, J. S.A., and Pike, K. C.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > MRC/CSO SPHSU
Journal Name:Pediatric Pulmonology
Publisher:Wiley
ISSN:8755-6863
ISSN (Online):1099-0496
Published Online:16 August 2017
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
First Published:First published in Pediatric Pulmonology 52(10): 1291-1299
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

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