Placing Maternal Obesity Among Pregnancy-Associated Risk Factors for Cerebral Palsy

Preterm birth, fetal oxygen deprivation, and nervous system malformations, the strongest risk factors, are likely influenced by maternal BMI.

Where does maternal body-mass index (BMI) fit among pregnancy-associated risk factors for cerebral palsy? To address this question, investigators conducted a retrospective cohort study of all singleton births in Sweden from 1997 to 2011.

At a median follow-up of 8 years among 1.4 million births, incidence of cerebral palsy was 2.13 per 1000 live births. Major risk factors for the condition included neonatal seizures (hazard ratio [HR], 120), hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HR, 109), nervous system malformations (HR, 95), Apgar score <4 (HR, 66), and extremely preterm delivery (<27 weeks' gestation; HR, 57). Maternal obesity was associated with a modest but statistically significant excess risk for cerebral palsy among term, but not preterm,…

Reviewing Author

Robert L. Barbieri, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Robert L. Barbieri, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Placing Maternal Obesity Among Pregnancy-Associated Risk Factors for Cerebral Palsy

Topics

Reviewing Author