Early-pregnancy BMI, Maternal Gestational Weight Gain, and Asthma and
Allergic Diseases in Children.
Abstract
Background: Association of early pregnancy body mass index
(BMI) and maternal gestational weight gain (GWG), and asthma and
allergic disease in children is unclear. Methods: We analyzed
data from 3,176 mother-child pairs in a prospective birth cohort study.
Maternal anthropometric measurements in the first and last antenatal
clinic visits were obtained through post-delivery questionnaires to
calculate early pregnancy BMI and maternal GWG. Asthma and allergic
diseases in children by the age of 5 years was assessed using a
validated questionnaire. Furthermore, serum samples were analyzed for
IgE antibodies to eight allergens. We applied Cox proportional hazards
and logistic regression analyses to estimate the association of early
pregnancy BMI and maternal GWG (as continuous variables and categorized
into quarters), and asthma, atopic eczema, atopic sensitization, and
allergic rhinitis in children. Results: Early pregnancy BMI and
maternal GWG were not associated with asthma and allergic disease in
children when analyzed as continuous variables. Compared to the first
quarter (GWG <0.32 kg/week), mothers in the third quarter (GWG
0.42-0.52 kg/week) had children with higher odds of developing atopic
eczema (adjusted OR 1.49, 95% CI [1.13-1.96]) by age 5 years.
Conclusion: The association of early pregnancy BMI and maternal
GWG and asthma and allergic disease in children is inconsistent. High
maternal GWG may be associated with increased odds of atopic eczema.