Search

Background: Life course patterns of change in risk—trajectories—affect health. Objectives: To examine how trajectories of cardiovascular risk factors are associated with pregnancy and birth outcomes. Methods: Data from two cohort studies participating in the International Childhood Cardiovascular Consortium—The Bogalusa Heart Study (BHS; started in 1973, N = 903 for this analysis) and the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS; started in 1980, N = 499) were used. Both followed children into adulthood and measured cardiovascular risk factors, including body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP), total, lipoprotein (LDL)‐ and high density lipoprotein (HDL)‐cholesterol and serum triglycerides. Discrete mixture modelling was used to divide each cohort into distinct trajectories according to these risk factors from childhood to early adulthood, and these groups were then used to predict pregnancy outcomes including small for gestational age (SGA; <10th study‐specific percentile of gestational age by sex), preterm birth (PTB; <37 weeks' gestation), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), with control for age at baseline and at first birth, parity, socioeconomic status, BMI and smoking. Results: The models created more trajectories for BMI, SBP and HDL‐cholesterol in the YFS than in BHS, for which three classes generally seemed to be sufficient to represent the groups in the population across risk factors. In BHS, the association between the higher and flatter DBP trajectory and PTB was aRR 1.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06, 2.96. In BHS the association between consistent total cholesterol and PTB was aRR 2.16, 95% CI 1.22, 3.85 and in YFS the association between elevated high trajectory and PTB was aRR 3.35, 95% CI 1.28, 8.79. Elevated‐increasing SBP was associated with a higher risk of GH in BHS and increasing or persistent‐obese BMI trajectories were associated with GDM in both cohorts (BHS: aRR 3.51, 95% CI 1.95, 6.30; YFS: aRR 2.61, 95% CI 0.96, 7.08). Conclusions: Trajectories of cardiovascular risk, particularly those that represent a consistent or more rapid worsening of cardiovascular health, are associated with a higher risk of pregnancy complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both cardiovascular and reproductive complications may have origins in utero or in early life. Women in the Bogalusa Heart Study (n = 1401) had been linked to birth certificates for birthweight and gestational data, which were examined relative to childhood (ages 4–16) cardiometabolic indicators, indicated by mean levels overall and total risk factor burden as estimated by area under the curve (AUC) computed from longitudinal quadratic random-effects growth models. Women reported the birthweight and gestational age of each of their own pregnancies, and delivery medical records were linked to interview data where possible. Path analyses were conducted to examine the relationships among a woman's own birth outcomes, childhood and preconception adult cardiovascular health, and birth outcomes. Mean blood pressure (systolic blood pressure (SBP) adjusted relative risk (aRR) per 1-SD increase, 1.27, 95% CI 1.04–1.57) and low-density lipoprotein (aRR 1.21, 95% CI 1.02–1.44) in childhood predicted preterm birth (PTB), while mean SBP (aRR 1.33, 95% CI 1.02–1.74) predicted term low birthweight. The AUC data suggested an association between blood pressure and PTB (aRR for SBP top 10%, 1.86, 95% CI 1.08–3.21). Pre-pregnancy total cholesterol was negatively associated with gestational age. In path analyses, positive associations were found for each step between own birthweight, childhood BMI, pre-pregnancy BMI, and child's birthweight. Childhood levels of some, though not all, cardiovascular risk factors may predict adverse birth outcomes (preterm birth and reduced fetal growth). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preterm birth (PTB) is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes and neurocognitive impairment later in life. We analyzed for the first time the associations of PTB with blood miRNA levels in adulthood. We also investigated the relationship of PTB associated miRNAs and adulthood phenotypes previously linked with premature birth. Blood MicroRNA profiling, genome-wide gene expression analysis, computer-based cognitive testing battery (CANTAB) and serum NMR metabolomics were performed for Young Finns Study subjects (aged 34–49 years, full-term n = 682, preterm n = 84). Preterm birth (vs. full-term) was associated with adulthood levels of hsa-miR-29b-3p in a fully adjusted regression model (p = 1.90 × 10–4, FDR = 0.046). The levels of hsa-miR-29b-3p were down-regulated in subjects with PTB with appropriate birthweight for gestational age (p = 0.002, fold change [FC] = − 1.20) and specifically in PTB subjects with small birthweight for gestational age (p = 0.095, FC = − 1.39) in comparison to individuals born full term. Hsa-miR-29b-3p levels correlated with the expressions of its target-mRNAs BCL11A and CS and the gene set analysis results indicated a target-mRNA driven association between hsa-miR-29b-3p levels and Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Insulin signaling and Regulation of Actin Cytoskeleton pathway expression. The level of hsa-miR-29b-3p was directly associated with visual processing and sustained attention in CANTAB test and inversely associated with serum levels of VLDL subclass component and triglyceride levels. In conlcusion, adult blood levels of hsa-miR-29b-3p were lower in subjects born preterm. Hsa-miR-29b-3p associated with cognitive function and may be linked with adulthood morbidities in subjects born preterm, possibly through regulation of gene sets related to neurodegenerative diseases and insulin signaling as well as VLDL and triglyceride metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although protective associations between dietary antioxidants and pregnancy outcomes have been reported, randomized controlled trials of supplementation have been almost uniformly negative. A possible explanation is that supplementation during pregnancy may be too late to have a beneficial effect. Therefore, we examined the relationship between antioxidant levels prior to pregnancy and birth outcomes. Methods and findings: Serum carotenoids and tocopherols were assayed in fasting specimens at 1985–86 (baseline) and 1992–1993 (year 7) from 1,215 participants in Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. An interviewer-administered quantitative food-frequency questionnaire assessed dietary intake of antioxidants. Pregnancy outcome was self-reported at exams every 2 to 5 years. Linear and logistic regression modeling was used to assess relationships of low birthweight (LBW; <2,500 g), continuous infant birthweight, preterm birth (PTB; <37 weeks) and length of gestation with antioxidant levels adjusted for confounders, as well as interactions with age and race. Results: In adjusted models, lycopene was associated with higher odds of LBW (adjusted odds ratio for top quartile, 2.15, 95% confidence interval 1.14, 3.92) and shorter gestational age (adjusted beta coefficient -0.50 weeks). Dietary intake of antioxidants was associated with lower birthweight, while supplement use of vitamin C was associated with higher gestational age (0.41 weeks, 0.01, 0.81). Conclusions: Higher preconception antioxidant levels are not associated with better birth outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Racial disparities in preterm birth have been long recognized, but the social and biological mechanisms for these differences are unclear. Our analysis had three goals: (1) to determine the relation between race and other social risk factors and cervical structure; (2) to determine whether social factors mediate the relation between race and cervical structure; and (3) to determine whether racial disparities in preterm birth (PTB) are mediated through changes in cervical structure observed earlier in pregnancy. Materials and methods: Data from the Maternal Fetal Medicine Unit network Preterm Prediction Study were used to examine the relation between race and other social factors and cervical properties throughout pregnancy in 2920 black and white women. Outcomes included cervical length and dilation; cervical score (cervical length–internal dilation); and whether membranes protruded at 22–24 and 26–29 weeks. Race, education, income, insurance type, and marital status were examined as predictors of the outcomes using linear and logistic regression, adjusting for age, BMI, parity, and smoking. Mediation analysis was used to examine whether (a) any social factors explained racial differences in cervical properties, and (b) whether cervical properties mediated racial differences in risk for preterm birth. Results: Shorter cervical length, especially at a subject's first visit, was associated with black race (adjusted beta −1.56 mm, p <.01) and lower income (adjusted beta −1.48, p =.05). External dilation was not associated with social factors, while internal dilation was associated with black race and lower education. Black race and marital status were associated with lower cervical score. There was no evidence of mediation of the racial effect on cervical properties by any social factor. Shorter cervical length, dilation, and score were all associated with preterm birth (p <.01). Mediation analysis indicated that each of these mediated the effect of race, but explained a small proportion of the total effect (15–25%). Conclusions: Race, and, to a lesser extent, other social factors are correlated with adverse cervical properties. This pathway could explain a proportion of the racial disparity in preterm birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Despite their importance to respiratory and other health outcomes, housing conditions have been little-studied with respect to perinatal outcomes. Methods 1927 participants in the British National Child Development Study reported on housing conditions and pregnancy outcomes, including presence/severity of mold/dampness; type of heating; and whether remodeling of various sorts had been conducted. Crowding, based on the number of people in the residence and the number of rooms, was also considered. Outcomes assessed were low birthweight (< 2500 g), preterm birth (< 37 weeks), and small-for-gestational-age (< 10th percentile for gestational age). Multiple logistic regression with adjustment for maternal, sociodemographic, and housing factors was conducted. Results Women who reported serious problems with mold were more likely to give birth to a low birthweight (adjusted OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.13–3.47) or small-for-gestational-age (2.06, 1.25–3.38) baby; no consistent associations were seen with preterm birth. Crowding was associated only with small-for-gestational-age (1.73, 1.11–2.76). Conclusions Exposure to mold or dampness, and housing conditions generally, is a potentially important but under-investigated aspect of women's lives during pregnancy. Future studies should more thoroughly investigate housing characteristics and their relationship with birth outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease that is common in many tropical and subtropical areas. Dengue infections can occur at any age and time in the lifespan, including during pregnancy. Few large scale studies have been conducted to determine the risk of preterm birth (PTB) and low birthweight (LBW) for infants born to women who had symptomatic dengue infection during pregnancy. Methodology/Principal Findings: This study is a retrospective cohort study using medical records from 1992–2010 from pregnant women who attended a public regional referral hospital in western French Guiana. Exposed pregnancies were those with laboratory confirmed cases of dengue fever during pregnancy. Each of the 86 exposed infants was matched to the three unexposed births that immediately followed them to form a stratum. Conditional logistic regression was used to analyze these matched strata. Three groups were examined: all infants regardless of gestational age, only infants> = 17 weeks of gestational age and their strata, and only infants> = 22 weeks of age and their strata. Odds ratios were adjusted (aOR) for maternal age, maternal ethnicity, maternal gravidity, interpregnancy interval and maternal anemia. There was an increased risk of PTB among women with symptomatic dengue; (aOR all infants: 3.34 (1.13, 9.89), aOR 17 weeks: 1.89 (0.61, 5.87), aOR 22 weeks: 1.41 (0.39, 5.20)) but this risk was only statistically significant when all infants were examined (p value = 0.03). Adjusted results for LBW were similar, with an increased risk in the exposed group (aOR All infants: 2.23 (1.01, 4.90), aOR 17 weeks: 1.67 (0.71, 3.93), aOR 22 weeks: 1.43 (0.56, 3.70)) which was only statistically significant when all infants were examined (p value = 0.05). Conclusions/Significance: Symptomatic dengue infection during pregnancy may increase the risk of PTB and LBW for infants. More research is needed to confirm these results and to examine the role of dengue fever in miscarriage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Large disparities in adverse birth outcomes persist between African American and white women in the US despite decades of research, policy, and public health intervention. Allostatic load is an index of dysregulation across multiple physiologic systems that results from chronic exposure to stress in the physical and socio-cultural environment which may lead to earlier health deterioration among racially or socio-economically disadvantaged groups. The purpose of this investigation was to examine relationships between maternal biomarkers of allostatic load prior to conception and the occurrence of preterm birth and small for gestational age infants among a cohort of white and African American women participants in the Bogalusa Heart Study. Methods Data from women participants were linked to the birth record of their first-born infant. Principal components analysis was used to construct an index of allostatic load as a summary of the weighted contribution of nine biomarkers representing three physiologic domains: cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune systems. A series of Poisson regression models based on samples ranging from 1467 to 375 women were used to examine race, individual biomarkers of allostatic load, and quartiles of the allostatic load index as predictors of preterm birth ( n = 150, 10.2%) and small for gestational age ( n = 135, 9.2%). Results There was no evidence of a relationship between maternal preconception allostatic load and either adverse birth outcome in this sample. Further, there was no evidence of effect modification of by race or education. Conclusions More work is needed in understanding the biological mechanisms linking social inequities to racial disparities in adverse birth outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress has been proposed as a cause of preterm birth (PTB) and small-for-gestational age (SGA), but stress does not have the same effects on all women. It may be that a woman's reaction to stress relates to her pregnancy health, and previous studies indicate that higher reactivity is associated with reduced birthweight and gestational age. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between pre-pregnancy cardiovascular reactivity to stress and pregnancy outcome. The sample included 917 women in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study who had cardiovascular reactivity measured in 1987-88 and at least one subsequent singleton livebirth within an 18-year period. Cardiovascular reactivity was measured using a video game, star tracing and cold pressor test. Gestational age and birthweight were based on the women's self-report, with PTB defined as birth <37 weeks' gestation and SGA as weight <10th percentile for gestational age. Linear and Poisson regression and generalised estimating equations were used to model the relationship between reactivity to stress and birth outcomes with control for confounders. Few associations were seen between reactivity and pregnancy outcomes. Higher pre-pregnancy diastolic blood pressure (adjusted relative risk 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.98, 1.34) and mean arterial pressure reactivity (1.15; 0.98, 1.36) were associated with risk of PTB at first pregnancy, while SGA was associated with lower systolic blood pressure reactivity (0.76; 0.60, 0.95). No associations were seen with other measures of reactivity. Contrary to hypothesis, the association between heart rate reactivity and PTB in first pregnancy was stronger in whites (adjusted relative risk 1.39; 1.03, 1.88) than in blacks (1.00; 0.83, 1.20; P for interaction = 0.08). Similar results were found for mean arterial pressure. No strong associations were found between higher pre-pregnancy stress reactivity and SGA or PTB, and stress reactivity did not have a stronger association with birth outcomes in blacks than whites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The chemical, physical, economic, and social effects of a major oil spill might adversely affect pregnancy health.Objectives: To examine the relationship between oil spill exposure and birth outcomes in a cohort of women living near the Gulf of Mexico at the time of the 2010 oil spill.Methods: Between 2012 and 2016, 1375 women reported their exposure to the oil spill, and at least one livebirth. Five hundred and three had births both before and after the oil spill. Indicators of oil spill exposure included self-reported financial consequences, direct contact with oil, traumatic experiences, loss of use of the coast, and involvement in litigation. Birth outcomes were low birthweight (LBW; birthweight <2500 g) and preterm birth (PTB; >3 weeks early). Women who were not pregnant at the time of the interview (n = 1001) self-reported outcomes, while women who were pregnant (n = 374) primarily had them abstracted from medical records (n = 374). All pregnancies prior to the oil spill were considered unexposed; those after the oil spill were considered exposed or unexposed depending on interview responses. Generalized estimating equations were used to control for clustering within women, with control for confounders.Results: The most common type of exposure was economic (49%), but 302 women (22.0%) reported some degree of direct contact with the oil. Associations between most indicators of oil spill exposure and pregnancy outcomes were null, although when all pregnancies were examined, associations were seen with high levels of contact with oil for LBW (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] 2.19, 95% CI, 1.29-3.71) and PTB (aOR 2.27, 1.34-3.87).Discussion: In this community-based cohort, we did not find associations between report of exposure to the oil spill, with the possible exception of high oil contact in some analyses, and birth outcomes. Research incorporating specific biomarkers of oil spill exposure and stress biomarkers would be valuable, to allow for assessing both perceived and actual exposure, especially when direct toxicant exposure is minimal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Racial disparities in birth outcomes are mirrored in cardiovascular health. Recently there have been calls for more attention to preconception and interconceptional health in order to improve birth outcomes, including as a strategy to reduce black-white disparities.Methods: As part of a larger study of cardiovascular and reproductive health ("Bogalusa Babies"), female participants were linked to their children's birth certificates for Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas births from 1982 to 2009. Three thousand and ninety-five women were linked to birth certificate data. Birth outcomes were defined as low birthweight (LBW) birthweight < 2500 g; preterm birth (PTB), > 3 weeks early; small for gestational age (SGA), <10th percentile for gestational age (percentiles based on study population); large for gestational age (LGA) >90th percentile for gestational age]. Cardiovascular measures (blood pressure, lipids, glucose, insulin) at the visit closest in time but prior to the pregnancy was examined as predictors of birth outcomes using logistic models adjusted for covariates.Results: Only a few cardiovascular risk factors were associated with birth outcomes. Triglycerides were associated with higher risk of LBW among whites (aOR 1.05, 95% 1.01-1.10). Higher glucose was associated with a reduction in risk of SGA for black women (aOR 0.85, 95% CI 0.76-0.95), but not whites (p for interaction = 0.02). Clear racial disparities were found, but they were reduced modestly (LBW/SGA) or not at all (PTB/LGA) after CVD risk factors were adjusted for.Conclusions: This analysis does not provide evidence for preconception cardiovascular risk being a strong contributor to racial disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate whether women who deliver preterm have excess risk for metabolic dysregulation independent of prepregnancy factors.Methods: We conducted a multicenter, longitudinal, observational study of 1,205 women (50% black) in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study with at least one birth between baseline (1985-1986) and year 25 and no metabolic syndrome or diabetes before pregnancy. Cardiometabolic factors were measured prepregnancy and at up to five subsequent examinations. We estimated the relative hazards of incident metabolic syndrome in women with one or more preterm births (less than 37 weeks of gestation, n=295) compared with only term births (37 weeks of gestation or greater, n=910). Self-reported gestational diabetes mellitus, hypertension during pregnancy, and time-dependent weight gain were also considered as covariates.Results: Of 315 cases of metabolic syndrome in 17,717 person-years of follow-up, the incidence rate was higher among women with preterm compared with term births (22.0 compared with 16.4 per 1,000 person-years; relative hazard 2.91 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.75-3.09]). After adjustment for prepregnancy cardiometabolic factors and covariates, the relative hazard (95% CI) for metabolic syndrome was 1.52 (1.22-1.88) for women with preterm compared with term births. Gestational diabetes mellitus, hypertension during pregnancy, and weight gain only modestly attenuated this association. Elevated blood pressure (36.3% compared with 26.7%, P=.002) and central adiposity (51.5% compared with 44.0%, P=.02) were the individual metabolic syndrome components that were different in women with preterm compared with term births.Conclusion: Women with a history of preterm birth have increased risk of incident metabolic syndrome compared with those with term births, independent of the prepregnancy metabolic status and pregnancy complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic review tools that provide guidance on evaluating epidemiology studies are receiving increasing attention and support because their application facilitates improved quality of the review, consistency across reviewers, and transparency for readers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Program has developed an approach for systematic review of evidence of health effects from chemical exposures that includes structured approaches for literature search and screening, study evaluation, data extraction, and evidence synthesis and integration. This approach recognizes the need for developing outcome-specific criteria for study evaluation. Because studies are assessed at the outcome level, a study could be considered high quality for one investigated outcome, and low quality for another, due to differences in the outcome measures, analytic strategies, how relevant a certain bias is to the outcome, and how the exposure measure relates to the outcome. The objective of this paper is to illustrate the need for outcome-specific criteria in study evaluation or risk of bias evaluation, describe the process we used to develop the criteria, and summarize the resulting criteria. We used a process of expert consultation to develop several sets of outcome-specific criteria to guide study reviewers, improve consistency, and ensure consideration of critical issues specific to the outcomes. The criteria were developed using the following domains: outcome assessment, exposure measurement (specifically timing of exposure in relation to outcome; other exposure measurement issues would be addressed in exposure-specific criteria), participant selection, confounding, analysis, and sensitivity (the study's ability to detect a true effect or hazard). We discuss the application of this process to pregnancy-related outcomes (preterm birth, spontaneous abortion), other reproductive-related outcomes (male reproductive hormones, sperm parameters, time to pregnancy, pubertal development), chronic disease (diabetes, insulin resistance), and acute or episodic conditions (asthma, allergies), and provide examples of the criteria developed. For each outcome the most influential methodological considerations are highlighted including biological sample collection and quality control, sensitivity and specificity of ascertainment tools, optimal timing for recruitment into the study (e.g., preconception, specific trimesters), the etiologically relevant window for exposure assessments, and important potential confounders. Outcome-specific criteria are an important part of a systematic review and will facilitate study evaluations by epidemiologists with experience in evaluating studies using systematic review methods who may not have extensive discipline-specific experience in the outcomes being reviewed. • Available tools for study evaluation improve consistency and transparency but are not outcome-specific. • Outcome-specific criteria facilitate evaluation by epidemiologists without extensive subject-matter expertise. • Outcome-specific criteria should be an explicit and documented part of systematic reviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Women who deliver preterm births have excess risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes later in life, perhaps related to metabolic dysregulation. Previous studies, however, have not evaluated how the prepregnancy metabolic status, other pregnancy characteristics and post pregnancy weight gain may be involved. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that women who delivered preterm births would have excess risk of incident metabolic syndrome (MetS) compared to women with term births independent of their pre-pregnancy metabolic profile, parity and other risk factors. Methods: We studied 1,246 women (50% Black; 624 of 1,246) in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA study) who had at least one singleton birth between baseline (1985-1986) and year 25, and no MetS before pregnancy. Blood pressure, lipids, and anthropometrics were measured at baseline and at up to 7 subsequent exams. We ascertained incident MetS cases using the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria and estimated the relative hazards (RH) of MetS in women with 1 or more preterm births (<37 weeks, n=306) versus 1 (n=558) and 2 or more (n=382) term births (=37 weeks) using complementary log-log models adjusted for race, age, education, smoking, time-varying parity and pre-pregnancy metabolic syndrome components. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), self-reported hypertension during pregnancy, and time dependent weight gain were considered as potential mediators. Results: Of 338 incident MetS cases in 17,212 person years, the crude incidence rate among women with preterm birth was higher than among those with 1, but not 2 or more term births (24.2, 14.4, and 32.2, respectively). After adjustment for covariates, however, including time-varying parity, the adjusted RH (95%CI) for incident MetS was 1.89 (1.24, 2.89) for women with preterm vs. term births. Additional adjustment for GDM or hypertension during pregnancy only modestly affected this estimate, but accounting for time-varying weight gain attenuated it to be non-significant (adj HR 1.42 (0.92, 2.21). Increased waist circumference (18.1 ± 12.3 vs. 15.9 ± 11.9 cm, p<0.01) and increased systolic blood pressure (13.6 ± 18.3 vs. 6.6 ± 12.5 mmHg, p<0.01) were the MetS components that changed the most from baseline to year 25 among women with preterm vs. term births. Conclusions: In conclusion, women with a history of preterm birth have an almost two-fold increased risk of incident MetS compared to those with term births after 25 years of follow up. This was independent of the pre-pregnancy metabolic status, other complications and time dependent parity. It was explained, in part, by post pregnancy weight gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]