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Association between prepregnancy body mass index and congenital heart defects

Suzanne M Gilboa1, Adolfo Correa, Lorenzo D Botto

  • 1National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
|October 3, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Maternal prepregnancy obesity is linked to increased risks of congenital heart defects (CHDs) in infants. This includes specific conditions like conotruncal and right ventricular outflow tract defects.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Health
  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) is a critical factor in pregnancy outcomes.
  • Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are a leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity.
  • Previous studies have suggested a link between elevated BMI and certain CHDs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and the occurrence of congenital heart defects (CHDs).
  • To identify specific types of CHDs that may be more prevalent in infants born to mothers with elevated prepregnancy BMI.

Main Methods:

  • Case-control study design utilizing data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (1997-2004).
  • Inclusion of 6,440 infants with CHDs and 5,673 liveborn control infants without birth defects.
  • Statistical analysis to determine adjusted odds ratios for CHDs based on prepregnancy BMI categories.

Main Results:

  • Elevated prepregnancy BMI (>=25.0 kg/m^2) was associated with an increased risk of overall CHDs.
  • Specifically, overweight, moderate obesity, and severe obesity showed increased odds ratios for CHDs.
  • Associations were observed for conotruncal defects (e.g., tetralogy of Fallot), total anomalous pulmonary venous return, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) defects, and septal defects.

Conclusions:

  • The findings reinforce previous associations between maternal obesity and CHDs.
  • New associations were identified between obesity and specific defects, including conotruncal and RVOT defects.
  • These results highlight the importance of prepregnancy weight management for preventing congenital heart defects.
Abstract

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