TOPLINE:
Higher body mass index (BMI) at the start of pregnancy is associated with increased risk for adverse maternal outcomes, including preeclampsia, and neonatal complications, such as respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), in a dose-dependent manner, new research shows.
METHODOLOGY:
- Researchers conducted a retrospective study of 58,497 singleton pregnancies delivered at an urban hospital between 2013 and 2021.
- They focused on pregnancies delivered between 24 and 42 weeks of gestation, for which information about BMI at the first prenatal visit was available.
- 21.1% of mothers had class I , 9.3% had class II obesity, and 6% had class III obesity.
TAKEAWAY:
- Obesity was associated with a dose-dependent increase in cesarean deliveries (27% of deliveries without obesity vs 46% of deliveries with class III obesity).
- Severe preeclampsia occurred in 8% of mothers without obesity and in 19% of mothers with class III obesity.
- Infants born to mothers with class III obesity were more likely than were infants born to mothers without obesity to have RDS, with a relative risk (RR) of 2.66.
- With class II obesity, the RR was 1.77. With class I obesity, the RR was 1.3.
- Obesity also was associated with increased risk for grade III-IV (RR), 4.58 for class III obesity) and (RR, 3.76).
IN PRACTICE:
“Infants born to patients with higher classes of obesity have significant associated morbidity including a 2 to 4 times increased risk of neonatal acidosis, grades III-IV intraventricular hemorrhage, sepsis, and RDS,” the researchers reported.
SOURCE:
Sara I. Jones, MD, with University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, presented the study on February 14 at the 2024 Pregnancy Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, in National Harbor, Maryland.
DISCLOSURES:
The researchers had no conflicts of interest to disclose.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.