Maternal obesity as a risk of comorbidity in children

Abstract

Aim. To study the impact of maternal obesity on children’s health in the first year of life. Materials and methods. The study included 90 children: group 1-54 children from obese mothers (maternal body mass index before pregnancy ≥ 30 kg/m²); Group 2-36 children from mothers with a normal body mass index (18.5-24.9 kg/m²). All children were assessed for the course of the perinatal period and health status during the first year of life during dynamic observation. Research results. It was found that newborns from obese mothers were significantly more likely to have a body weight of more than 4000 grams (20.4% and 10.6%, p = 0.026). The perinatal period in this group of children was more often accompanied by asphyxia of newborns (11.0% and 1.6%; p = 0.003), requiring artificial ventilation (10.2% and 1.6%; p = 0.003) and therapy in conditions intensive care units (10.9% and 1.6%; p = 0.002). During dynamic observation, it was noted that in children from obese mothers, anomalies in the development of the urinary system were more common (40.7% and 25.0%, p = 0.03). These children were statistically significantly more likely to suffer from acute respiratory viral infections (32.1% and 19.4%, p = 0.03), acute intestinal infections (24.1% and 11.1%, p = 0.02) and urinary tract (20.4% and 11.1%, p = 0.04). They were diagnosed with a higher frequency of mild anemia (24.1% and 8.3%, p = 0.03) and atopic dermatitis (38.9% and 25.0%, p = 0.02). Conclusion. The results obtained demonstrate the significant influence of maternal obesity in the development of adverse perinatal outcomes, such as: disorders of postnatal adaptation, asphyxia, an increase in the frequency of developmental anomalies and morbidity in children during the first year of life and indicate the risks of developing comorbid conditions in children in the future.