Abstract
One in 5 pregnant women is obese but the impact on later health is unknown. We aimed to determine whether maternal obesity during pregnancy associates with increased premature mortality and later life major cardiovascular events. Maternity records of women who gave birth to their first child between 1950 and 1976 (n=18 873) from the Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal databank were linked to the National Register of Deaths, Scotland and Scottish Morbidity Record. The effect of maternal obesity at first antenatal visit on death and hospital admissions for cardiovascular events was tested using time-to-event analysis with Cox proportional hazard regression to compare outcomes of mothers in underweight, overweight, or obese body mass index (BMI) categories compared with normal BMI. Median follow-up was at 73 years. All-cause mortality was increased in women who were obese during pregnancy (BMI>30 kg/m2) versus normal BMI after adjustment for socioeconomic status, smoking, gestation at BMI measurement, preeclampsia, and low birth weight (hazard ratio, 1.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–1.77). In adjusted models, overweight and obese mothers had increased risk of hospital admission for a cardiovascular event (1.16; 1.06–1.27 and 1.26; 1.01–1.57) compared with normal BMI mothers. Adjustment for parity largely unchanged the hazard ratios (mortality: 1.43, 1.09–1.88; cardiovascular events overweight: 1.17, 1.07–1.29; and obese: 1.30, 1.04–1.62). In conclusion, maternal obesity is associated with increased risk of premature death and cardiovascular disease. Pregnancy and early postpartum could represent an opportunity for interventions to identify obesity and reduce its adverse consequences.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 938-944 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Hypertension |
Volume | 66 |
Issue number | 5 |
Early online date | 14 Sept 2015 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2015 |
Bibliographical note
AcknowledgementsWe thank Ms Katie Wilde, Data Management Team, University of Aberdeen and Lynsey Waugh, Information and Services Division of NHS Scotland for their help with data extraction and linkage.
Funding sources
This work was supported by funding from the Chief Scientist Office, Scotland. We also acknowledge support from Tommy’s and the British Heart Foundation. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. None of the authors are related to any of the funders
Keywords
- obesity
- BMI
- pregnancy
- cardiovascular disease
- death
- body mass index
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Dive into the research topics of 'Maternal Obesity During Pregnancy Associates With Premature Mortality and Major Cardiovascular Events in Later Life'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Datasets
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Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank
Bhattacharya, S. (Data Manager) & Wilde, K. (Supervisor), University of Aberdeen, 1986
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/iahs/research/obsgynae/amnd/overview.php and one more link, http://www.abdn.ac.uk/iahs/research/obsgynae/amnd/access.php (show fewer)
Dataset
Profiles
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Siladitya Bhattacharya
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, Applied Health Sciences - Dugald Baird Chair in Women's Health
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, Aberdeen Centre for Women’s Health Research
Person: Clinical Academic
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Amanda Lee
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, Applied Health Sciences - Chair in Medical Statistics
- Institute of Applied Health Sciences
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, Medical Statistics
Person: Academic