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Effect of maternal body mass index on cord blood erthropoietin concentrations
S Barak1, F B Mimouni2, R Stern3
11] Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Lis Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv-Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel [2] The Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Objective:
To examine the hypothesis that maternal body mass index (BMI) (an index of maternal adiposity) correlates with cord blood concentrations of erythropoietin (EPO).
Study Design:
Cross-sectional cohort study of consecutively born singleton term healthy infants born to mothers with various BMIs. Excluded were infants with major factors known to be associated with a potential increase in fetal erythropoiesis. Prepregnancy maternal BMI was calculated from maternal recollection.
Result:
There was a significant correlation between EPO concentrations and maternal BMI (R = 0.427, P = 0.007). This correlation remained significant in multiple stepwise regression analysis using the EPO concentration as the dependent variable, and maternal age, parity, gestational age and Apgar scores (1 or 5 min) as potential confounders.
Conclusion:
Cord blood concentrations of EPO correlate with maternal BMI. We speculate that increasing maternal BMI may represent a relative hypoxic burden on the fetus.
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