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Maternal Chronic Conditions and Risk of Cerebral Palsy in Offspring: A National Cohort Study
Marianne S Strøm1,2,3, Mette C Tollånes4, Allen J Wilcox5
1Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; marianne.strom@uib.no.
Insights
Maternal chronic conditions, particularly autoimmune disorders, increase the risk of cerebral palsy (CP) in children. Paternal conditions did not show increased CP risk. This highlights the importance of maternal health in child development.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) is a complex neurological disorder.
- Previous research suggests a potential link between maternal chronic conditions and increased CP risk in offspring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between 17 maternal chronic conditions and the risk of cerebral palsy (CP) in children.
- To examine the impact of parental chronic conditions on CP development.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study of Norwegian children born between 1990-2012.
- Data extracted from national registries for maternal conditions, parental chronic conditions, and CP diagnoses.
- Log binomial regression models used to estimate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Main Results:
- Over 1.3 million children were included, with 3575 diagnosed with CP.
- Maternal type 2 diabetes (RR 3.2), lupus erythematosus (RR 2.7), type 1 diabetes (RR 2.2), and Crohn disease (RR 2.1) during pregnancy were associated with higher CP risk.
- No increased CP risk was observed for offspring of fathers with chronic conditions.
Conclusions:
- Specific maternal chronic conditions are associated with an elevated risk of cerebral palsy in offspring.
- Maternal autoimmune disorders represent a significant risk factor for CP.
- These findings underscore the importance of managing maternal health during pregnancy to mitigate CP risks.
Background And Objectives:
Previous studies suggest that children of mothers with certain chronic conditions may be at increased risk of cerebral palsy (CP). We explored possible associations between 17 maternal chronic conditions and CP in offspring.
Methods:
We conducted a prospective cohort study of Norwegian children born in 1990-2012 and surviving to 2 years of age. Information on maternal chronic conditions during pregnancy were extracted from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (1990-2012). Information on chronic conditions in mothers and fathers recorded in the Norwegian Patient Registry (2008-2014) was available for a subset of children. CP diagnoses were extracted from the National Insurance Scheme (1990-2014) and the Norwegian Patient Registry (2008-2014). We estimated relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of CP in offspring of parents with chronic conditions compared with the general population using log binominal regression models.
Results:
A total of 1 360 149 Norwegian children, including 3575 children with CP (2.6 per 1000 live births), fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The highest risk of CP was among offspring of mothers with type 2 diabetes (RR 3.2; 95% CI 1.8-5.4), lupus erythematosus (RR 2.7; 95% CI 0.9-8.3), type 1 diabetes (RR 2.2; 95% CI 1.4-3.4), and Crohn disease (RR 2.1; 95% CI 1.0-4.1) during pregnancy. No increased risks were seen for offspring of fathers with chronic conditions.
Conclusions:
Several maternal chronic conditions were associated with increased risk of CP in offspring. Maternal autoimmune disorders carried a particular risk.
