Open Access
ARTICLE
Association between maternal body mass index and congenital heart defects in infants: A meta-analysis
Yu Zhu1*, Yong Chen1*, Yu Feng2, Di Yu1, Xuming Mo1
1 Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery,
Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical
University, Nanjing, China
2 Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First
Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University,
Soochow, China
* Corresponding Author: Xuming Mo, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 72 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210008, China. Email:
Congenital Heart Disease 2018, 13(2), 271-281. https://doi.org/10.1111/chd.12567
Abstract
We conducted this meta-analysis to address the open question of a possible association between
maternal body mass index (BMI) and congenital heart defects (CHDs) in infants. We conducted a
comprehensive computerized search of PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, and Embase databased
(January 1980 through August 2017). We assessed the association between maternal BMI and the
risk for congenital heart defects in their offspring. Study-specific relative risk estimates were polled
according to random-effect or fixed-effect models. From 2567 citations, a total of 13 case-control
studies and 4 cohort studies were selected for a meta-analysis, including more than 1 150 000
cases. The pooled odds radio (OR) of 1.065 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.021-1.100; P = .001;
I
2 = 60.1%) indicated a positive effect of maternal overweight status (BMI 25.0–29.9 kg/m
2
) on
the risk for congenital heart defects in infants. Moreover, we observed a significant association
between maternal obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m
2
) and congenital heart defects in their offspring (OR:
1.174; 95% CI, 1.146–1.203, P = 0.161; I
2 =25.5%). However, there was little significant evidence
of an association between maternal underweight status (BMI< 18.5 kg/m
2
) and offspring with
congenital heart defects, and the pooled OR was 1.015 (95% CI, 0.980–1.052; P = 0.085;
I
2=34.0%). Our meta-analysis provides robust evidence of the positive association between maternal BMI and the risk for fetal congenital heart defects.
Keywords
Cite This Article
Zhu, Y., Chen, Y., Feng, Y., Yu, D., Mo, X. (2018). Association between maternal body mass index and congenital heart defects in infants: A meta-analysis.
Congenital Heart Disease, 13(2), 271–281.