Abstract
Objective
To determine the association of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) at 18–24 months corrected age (CA) in infants born < 29 weeks gestation.
Study design
Infants born between 2005 and 2015 at < 29 weeks gestation were included. BMI was categorized into BMI1 [18.5–24.9 kg/m2], BMI2 [25–29.9 kg/m2], BMI3 [ ≥ 30 kg/m2]. Primary outcome was death or NDI (Bayley-III scores < 85, cerebral palsy, hearing or visual impairment). Univariate and multivariate analysis were used.
Results
There were 315 infants in BMI1, 235 in BMI2, and 147 in BMI3 groups. Adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of death or NDI in BMI2 vs. BMI1 and BMI3 vs BMI1 groups were 1.33 (95% CI 0.86–2.06) and 0.76 (95% CI 0.47–1.22). Adjusted odds ratio of Bayley-III language composite < 85 was 2.06 (95% CI 1.28–3.32).
Conclusion
Pre-pregnancy BMI was not associated with death or NDI in extremely preterm infants. Infants born to overweight mothers had higher odds of low language scores.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Susan Crawford, epidemiologist, Alberta Perinatal Health Program, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada for her valuable help in data acquisition.
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The study was approved by the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board of the University of Calgary.
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Journault, M., Murthy, P., Bansal, N. et al. The association of maternal overweight on long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in premature infants (< 29 weeks) at 18–24 months corrected age. J Perinatol 43, 1413–1419 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-023-01733-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-023-01733-1