Abstract

Abstract Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often affects women in their child-bearing years. These women may be at an increased risk of adverse neonatal outcomes. Aims The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk of these outcomes in this population of patients, with an emphasis of determining risk factors for development of these conditions. Methods Medline, Embase, and Cochrane library were searched through to May 2019 for studies reporting adverse neonatal outcomes in IBD patients. Weighted odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to assess the risk of these outcomes in patients with IBD compared to healthy controls, with risk factors such as disease activity and medication exposure also being assessed. Results Sixty studies were included (8194 pregnancies with inflammatory bowel disease and 3253 healthy pregnancies). Compared to healthy controls, patients with inflammatory bowel disease were more likely to deliver infants with low birth weight (LBW) (OR 2.78, 95% CI 1.16–6.66) and infants who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) (OR 3.33, 95% CI 1.83–6.05). Patients with Crohn’s disease had an increased risk of infants born with congenital anomalies (OR 3.03, 95% CI, 1.43–6.42), whereas patients with ulcerative colitis had an increased risk of preterm delivery (OR 2.68, 95% CI, 1.12–6.43). Active disease increased the risk of preterm birth (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.21–3.51), LBW (OR 2.96, 95% CI 1.54–5.70), and small for gestation age (OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.18–5.83) compared to disease in remission. Tumor necrosis factor antagonists was associated with increased risk of NICU admission (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.31–4.45) and LBW (OR 1.54, 95% CI, 1.01–2.35). Conclusions Patients with inflammatory bowel disease are at an increased risk of developing adverse neonatal outcomes such as preterm birth, LBW, congenital anomalies, and NICU admissions. Patients with clinically active disease and those exposed to anti-TNF therapy may be at higher risk of developing these adverse outcomes. The findings of this study are important to communicate to patients and healthcare providers alike. Furthermore, this information may help to mitigate these risks through collaborative specialized care during pregnancy in order to reduce the overall morbidity and mortality for both mother and baby. Funding Agencies None

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