Maternal Dyslipidemia and Its Association With Preterm Birth and Other Adverse Perinatal Outcomes

Background The existing literature has reported a conflicting relationship between maternal dyslipidemia and preterm birth. No significant research has been performed to determine the association between maternal dyslipidemia and low birth weight (LBW), neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay, need for neonatal phototherapy, need for assisted ventilation, and stillbirths. This study aims to determine the association between maternal dyslipidemia and preterm births and other adverse perinatal outcomes. Methodology A total of 159 pregnant women were included in this prospective observational study. Serum lipid profile (triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and very low-density lipoprotein) was tested once between 20 and 28 weeks of gestation. Mothers were followed throughout the antenatal period until delivery, and pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth, LBW, NICU stay, need for neonatal phototherapy, need for assisted ventilation, and stillbirths were recorded in both dyslipidemic and eulipidemic women. Results In total, seven (8.8%) women with dyslipidemia had preterm birth, and five (6.3%) women with eulipidemia had preterm birth (p = 0.69). Moreover, 14 women with dyslipidemia had neonatal LBW, which was significantly higher compared to six women in the eulipidemia group (17.5% vs. 7.6%; p = 0.06). The number of women whose babies needed NICU stay was 10 (12.5%) and 1 (1.3%) in the dyslipidemia and eulipidemia groups, respectively (p = 0.005). The need for phototherapy was significantly higher in the dyslipidemia group compared to the eulipidemia group (5% vs. 0%; p = 0.045). In total, seven women in the dyslipidemia group needed neonatal assisted ventilation compared to one patient in the eulipidemia group (8.8% vs. 1.3%; p = 0.064). Conclusions Maternal dyslipidemia is not associated with increased preterm birth. However, maternal dyslipidemia is associated with a significant increase in other adverse neonatal outcomes such as LBW, increased NICU stay, and neonatal phototherapy.