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Maternal obesity and long-term neuropsychiatric morbidity of the offspring

  • Maternal-Fetal Medicine
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the long-term pediatric neuropsychiatric morbidity of children born to obese patients.

Study design

A population-based cohort analysis was performed comparing all deliveries of obese (maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or more) and non-obese patients between 1991 and 2014 at a single tertiary medical center. Hospitalizations of the offspring up to the age of 18 years involving neuropsychiatric morbidities were evaluated according to a pre-defined set of ICD-9 codes, including autistic, eating, sleeping and movement disorders, cerebral palsy, developmental disorders, and more. A Kaplan–Meier survival curve was used to compare cumulative hospitalization rate in exposed and unexposed offspring. A Cox regression model was used to control for confounders.

Results

During the study period, 242,342 deliveries met the inclusion criteria. Of them, 3290 were children of obese mothers. Hospitalizations involving neuropsychiatric morbidities were higher in children born to obese mothers compared with those born to non-obese mothers (3.95% vs. 3.10%, p < 0.01). Specifically, offspring of obese mothers had higher rates of autism spectrum disorders and psychiatric disorders. The Kaplan–Meier survival curve demonstrated a significantly higher cumulative incidence of neuropsychiatric-related hospitalizations in the obese group (Fig. 1, log rank p < 0.05). Using a cox proportional hazard model, controlling for maternal age, preterm labor, maternal diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and birthweight, maternal obesity was found to be independently associated with long-term neuropsychiatric morbidity of the offspring (adjusted HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.04–1.47, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Maternal obesity is an independent risk factor for long-term neuropsychiatric morbidity of the offspring.

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Acknowledgements

This study was conducted as part of the requirements for graduation from the Medical School of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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ZFN wrote the first draft of the manuscript. No honorarium, grant, or other form of payment was given to anyone to produce the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gil Gutvirtz.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.

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This is a retrospective study. No informed consent was needed.

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Cite this article

Neuhaus, Z.F., Gutvirtz, G., Pariente, G. et al. Maternal obesity and long-term neuropsychiatric morbidity of the offspring. Arch Gynecol Obstet 301, 143–149 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-020-05432-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-020-05432-6

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