Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 23, 2025
Author Spotlight: Collecting the Brain and Serum from the Same Mice Fetus to Study Brain Tumor Development
Published on: May 17, 2024
Maternal obesity, gestational weight gain, and offspring asthma and atopy
Kristen J Polinski1, Griffith A Bell2, Mai-Han Trinh3
1Division of Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
Insights
Maternal prepregnancy obesity increases offspring wheeze risk. However, excessive gestational weight gain did not significantly impact childhood asthma or atopy development. This highlights the importance of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI).
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Maternal obesity is a potential factor influencing fetal immune development and offspring risk for asthma and atopic diseases.
- Limited research has specifically investigated the role of gestational weight gain (GWG) in relation to these offspring health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) with the risk of persistent wheeze, eczema, allergy, and asthma in offspring.
- To evaluate these risks through middle childhood using a population-based longitudinal cohort.
Main Methods:
- Analysis included 5939 children from the Upstate KIDS longitudinal cohort.
- Offspring persistent wheeze, asthma, eczema, and allergy were maternally reported across multiple time points.
- Poisson regression models estimated adjusted risk ratios (aRRs) for atopic outcomes based on maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG.
Main Results:
- Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity (Class I, II, or III) was linked to an increased risk of persistent wheeze by age 3 (aRR 1.58-1.69).
- No significant associations were found between pre-pregnancy BMI and overall asthma in middle childhood or other atopic outcomes.
- Gestational weight gain (GWG) was not associated with an increased risk of early childhood persistent wheeze or middle childhood asthma.
Conclusions:
- Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI is associated with an elevated risk of wheezing in offspring.
- Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) showed no significant association with childhood asthma or atopic conditions.
- These findings underscore the impact of maternal pre-pregnancy weight status on offspring respiratory health.
Background:
Maternal obesity may affect offspring asthma and atopic disease risk by altering fetal immune system development. However, few studies evaluate gestational weight gain (GWG).
Objective:
To evaluate relationships between maternal body mass index (BMI), GWG, and persistent wheeze, eczema, allergy, and asthma risk in offspring through middle childhood.
Methods:
A total of 5939 children from Upstate KIDS, a population-based longitudinal cohort of children born in upstate New York (2008-2019) were included in the analysis. Persistent wheeze or asthma, eczema, and allergy were maternally reported at multiple study time points throughout early and middle childhood. Poisson regression models with robust SEs were used to estimate adjusted risk ratios (aRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for offspring atopic outcomes by maternal prepregnancy BMI and GWG.
Results:
Prepregnancy BMI was associated with increased risk of persistent wheeze by 3 years of age even after adjustments for maternal atopy (class I obesity: aRR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.13-2.20; class II or III obesity: aRR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.22-2.35). Associations with reported asthma in middle childhood did not reach statistical significance. Furthermore, no associations were found between prepregnancy BMI and atopic outcomes in either early or middle childhood. GWG was not associated with higher risk of early childhood persistent wheeze or middle childhood asthma.
Conclusion:
Maternal prepregnancy BMI was associated with increased risk of offspring wheeze, whereas excessive GWG was generally not associated with childhood asthma or atopy.
More Related Videos
05:31Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels
Published on: August 7, 2017
11:44A Primary Human Trophoblast Model to Study the Effect of Inflammation Associated with Maternal Obesity on Regulation of Autophagy in the Placenta
Published on: September 27, 2017
Related Concept Videos
01:29Asthma-I: Introduction
01:20Asthma: Pathogenesis and Management
Asthma is classified as allergic and non-allergic. Allergens such as dust mites, pollen, and pet dander trigger allergic asthma, while factors like cold air, intense emotions, or exercise can induce non-allergic asthma.
01:26Asthma-II: Pathophysiology and Classification
Additionally, environmental and genetic factors play crucial roles in determining an individual's susceptibility to asthma and the severity of their condition.
Critical processes in asthma pathophysiology include:
01:24Obesity
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,...
01:23Upper Respiratory Drugs: Antitussives, Expectorants, and Mucolytics
Antitussives include codeine, dextromethorphan (Robitussin), and benzonatate (Tessalon). Codeine and dextromethorphan exert their effects centrally by suppressing the cough reflex center in the medulla. Benzonatate operates peripherally within the respiratory tract by...