Elevated third trimester corticosteroid levels are associated with fewer offspring infections

Area of Science:

• Perinatal Medicine
• Respiratory Health
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Recurrent respiratory infections in early life increase chronic disease risk.
• Maternal factors during pregnancy influence offspring susceptibility to infections.
• Steroids' role in respiratory health and infection proneness requires characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between maternal steroid levels during pregnancy and offspring respiratory infection proneness.
• To explore associations between maternal steroids and related respiratory outcomes like asthma and lung function.

Main Methods:

• Utilized two pre-birth cohorts (VDAART and COPSAC) with 1503 mother-offspring pairs.
• Measured 16 maternal androgen and corticosteroid metabolites in plasma across trimesters using ultrahigh-performance-liquid-chromatography/mass-spectrometry.
• Employed adjusted Poisson regression models to assess associations with offspring respiratory infection incidence and lung function.

Main Results:

• Higher maternal plasma corticosteroid levels in the third trimester were significantly associated with lower offspring respiratory infection incidence (P < 0.002).
• Elevated third-trimester corticosteroids correlated with improved offspring lung function metrics (P = 0.020-0.036).
• Maternal androgens showed inconsistent associations with increased offspring infections and poorer lung function.

Conclusions:

• Increased maternal corticosteroid levels in late pregnancy are linked to reduced offspring respiratory infections and enhanced lung function.
• These findings suggest maternal corticosteroid supplementation in late pregnancy as a potential intervention strategy.
• Targeting maternal steroid profiles may mitigate early-life respiratory infection susceptibility.