In utero exposure to COVID-19 may increase children’s risk of obesity

Lindsay T. Fourman, M.D.

Courtesy of Twitter

New research suggests babies are exposed to their mothers in the womb COVID-19 infection Birth weight and body mass index (BMI) were lower than in unexposed controls, but postnatal weight gain was accelerated.¹

A research team at Massachusetts General Hospital found that the accelerated growth trajectory exhibited by children exposed to maternal COVID-19 was associated with adverse cardiometabolic consequences such as obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life. indicates that they may be related.

said Lindsay T. Fourman, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital. .² “Much more research is still needed to understand the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women and their children.”

The outbreak of COVID-19 and its infection in pregnant women, who comprise 9% of women of childbearing age, has created a new population of children with intrauterine exposure. However, little is known about the potential impact of an expectant mother’s COVID-19 on the health of her offspring, especially the risk of cardiometabolic disease.

The current study utilized the Mass General Brigham COVID-19 Perinatal Biorepository of mothers with and without prenatal COVID-19 and their offspring to assess in utero COVID-19 exposure and first week weight, We examined the relationship between body length and BMI z-score trajectory. 12 months of life. Analyzes focused on a subset of infants born to mothers who delivered before June 2021 to ensure all babies were 12 months or older at the time of data collection.

Based on these criteria, a total of 149 babies born between March 2020 and May 2021 who were exposed to maternal COVID-19 in utero and 127 babies without known exposure were Analyzed. The investigators extracted weight, height, and her BMI from 0, 2, 6, and 12-month health records and standardized them based on the World Health Organization growth charts. With the hypothesis that in utero exposure is associated with accelerated growth during the first year of life, the prespecified primary endpoint was change in BMI z-score from birth to 12 months.

In a linear mixed-effects model, people born prenatally exposed to COVID-19 showed significantly different trajectories in weight and BMI z-scores during the first year of life compared with unexposed controls (P. <.0001). According to the research team, no differences in length z-score trajectories were observed according to COVID-19 exposure status.

Results from the primary endpoint suggested that infants exposed to COVID-19 in utero had a significantly greater cumulative increase in BMI z-score from birth to 12 months compared with unexposed controls. was (0.62 ± 1.44 vs -0.05 ± 1.50, P. = .001).In the adjusted model, change for those born to her COVID-19 mother prenatally was significantly higher (effect size, 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI]0.06–0.99).

This analysis further evaluated whether a low birth weight z-score may determine the association between in utero COVID-19 exposure and accelerated postnatal growth in infancy. bottom. A meditation analysis revealed that birth weight Z-scores mediated a significant proportion of the relationship between exposure to COVID-19 and postnatal growth (estimate ± SE, 32 ± 14%, P. = .02).

Researchers found exaggerated growth patterns in infants exposed to COVID-19 may be a catch-up response to prenatal failure to thrive, potentially increasing risk of cardiometabolic disease suggest that this supports the need for long-term monitoring.

“Our findings support the importance of long-term follow-up of children exposed to maternal COVID-19 infection in utero and the widespread implementation of COVID-19 prevention strategies among pregnant individuals. It emphasizes sexuality,” says Andrea G. Edlow, MD, Massachusetts. general Hospital.² “Large studies with longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm these associations.”

1. References
   Mollie W Ockene, Samuel C Russo, Hang Lee, Carmen Monthé-Drèze, Takara L Stanley, Ingrid L Ma, Mabel Toribio, Lydia L Shook, Steven K Grinspoon, Andrea G Edlow, Lindsay T Fourman, Longitudinal weight gain in infants accelerated in utero COVID-19 exposure, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism2023;, dgad130, https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgad130
2. Covid-19 during pregnancy may increase children’s risk of obesityNewswise. (March 24, 2023). Retrieved March 29, 2023 from https://www.newswise.com/faseb/covid-19-during-pregnancy-may-increase-obesity-risk-in-children/