Abstract
Objective The exact shape of the dose-response relationship between maternal body mass index (BMI) and the risk of congenital heart defects (CHDs) in infants has not been clearly defined yet. This study aims to further clarify the relationship between maternal obesity and the risk of CHDs in infants by an overall and dose-response meta-analysis. Methods PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched to identify all related studies. The studies were limited to human cohort or case-control studies in English language. Random-effect models and dose-response meta-analysis were used to synthesize the results. Heterogeneity, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias were also assessed. Results Nineteen studies with 2,416,546 participants were included in our meta-analysis. Compared with the mothers with normal weight, the pooled relative risks (RRs) of infants with CHDs were 1.08 (95% CI=1.03-1.13) in overweight and 1.23 (95% CI=1.17-1.29) in obese mothers. According to the findings from the linear meta-analysis, we observed an increased risk of infants with CHDs (RR=1.07, 95% CI=1.06-1.08) for each 5 kg/m2 increase in maternal BMI. A nonlinear relationship between maternal BMI and risk of infants with CHDs was also found (p=0.012). Conclusion The results from our meta-analysis indicate that increased maternal BMI is related to increased risk of CHDs in infants.
Highlights
Congenital heart defects (CHDs), which account for nearly one-third of all major congenital anomalies, are the most common birth defects in newborns [1]
One cohort study by Persson et al suggested that maternal obesity significantly increased the risk of CHDs in infants, and Brite et al confirmed the positive association in their study [25, 26]
Rankin et al and Gharderian et al demonstrated that there was no significant association between increased maternal body mass index (BMI) and increased CHDs risk in offspring [27, 28]
Summary
Congenital heart defects (CHDs), which account for nearly one-third of all major congenital anomalies, are the most common birth defects in newborns [1]. As the serious medical problem, CHDs play a very important role in the death of newborns and infants [2, 3]. Identifying modifiable risk factors of infants with CHDs remains important for public health and clinical medicine. The exact etiologies of CHDs are complex, several causes such as genetic factors [6,7,8], physical and chemical factors [9,10,11,12], infection during pregnancy [13, 14], medication during pregnancy [15, 16], and mental health status or diseases during pregnancy [17,18,19,20] have been identified. There are still some potential risk factors that have not been fully confirmed, such as maternal obesity
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
