Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2026
External Cephalic Version: Is it an Effective and Safe Procedure?
Published on: June 6, 2020
A low pregnancy body mass index is a risk factor for an offspring with gastroschisis
P K Lam1, C P Torfs, R J Brand
1California Birth Defects Monitoring Program, Emeryville 94608-1811, USA.
Insights
Maternal underweight, not obesity, is linked to gastroschisis, a severe abdominal wall defect. Low prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) increases infant risk, while higher BMI shows a protective effect.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Pediatric Surgery
- Public Health and Epidemiology
Background:
- Maternal prepregnancy obesity has been hypothesized as a risk factor for offspring abdominal wall defects.
- Gastroschisis is a severe congenital birth defect affecting the abdominal wall, predominantly seen in infants of young mothers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal prepregnancy body mass and the risk of gastroschisis in offspring.
- To evaluate whether maternal underweight or overweight status influences gastroschisis occurrence.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study was conducted with 104 gastroschisis cases and 220 controls.
- Maternal body mass was assessed using Quetelet's index (QI = weight in kg/height in m2).
- Statistical analysis included calculating odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), with adjustments for maternal ethnicity and age.
Main Results:
- Underweight mothers (QI < 18.1 kg/m2) had a significantly higher risk of gastroschisis (OR = 3.2; 95% CI = 1.4-7.3).
- Overweight mothers (QI > 28.3 kg/m2) exhibited a reduced risk (OR = 0.2; 0.05-0.9) compared to normal-weight mothers.
- For every unit increase in QI, the risk of gastroschisis decreased by approximately 11%.
Conclusions:
- Low maternal prepregnancy body mass, specifically underweight status, is identified as a risk factor for gastroschisis.
- Maternal obesity does not appear to be a risk factor and may even be protective against gastroschisis.
- These findings highlight the importance of maternal nutritional status in relation to congenital abdominal wall defects.
Abstract:
A mother's prepregnancy obesity has been suggested as a risk factor for having offspring with an abdominal wall defect. We evaluated this hypothesis among 104 cases of gastroschisis--a severe birth defect of the abdominal wall most prevalent in infants of young women--and 220 controls with no defect. Using Quetelet's index (QI = weight in kg/height in m2) as a measure of body mass, we found a higher risk of gastroschisis (odds ratio (OR) = 3.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.4-7.3) for underweight mothers (QI<18.1 kg/m2) and a lower risk (OR = 0.2; 0.05-0.9) for overweight mothers (QI>28.3 kg/m2) as compared with mothers of normal weight. As QI was correlated to height, with the correlation varying according to mother's ethnicity and age, we adjusted for these factors in the analysis; the adjusted values approximated the unadjusted values. Evaluation of QI as a continuous variable showed that, for every unit increase in QI, the risk for gastroschisis decreased by about 11%. Sociodemographic, pregnancy, and nutrient factors did not confound the association. These results suggest that low prepregnancy body mass rather than obesity is a risk factor for gastroschisis.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Glucose Transporters
Facilitated diffusion-glucose transporters (GLUTs) are encoded by the solute-linked carrier (SLC) family 2, subfamily A gene family, or SLC2A. The 14 GLUT protein members are distributed into three classes:
01:07Teratogenicity
01:24Obesity
01:22Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
01:20Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility, suggesting a...
01:20Cholecystitis