Being a refugee or having a refugee status? Birthweight and gestational age outcomes among offspring of immigrant mothers in Sweden

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 730-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sol Juárez ◽  
Eleonora Mussino ◽  
Anders Hjern

Aims: to evaluate whether the information on refugee status based on the residence permit is a useful source of information for perinatal health surveillance. Methods: Using the Swedish population registers (1997-2012), we use multinomial regression models to assess the associations between migration status (refugee and non-refugee) and birth outcomes derived from birthweight and gestational age: low birthweight (LBW) (<2500 g), macrosomia (≥4000 g); preterm: (<37 w) and post-term (≥42 w). The Swedish-born population was used as a reference group. Results: Compared to the Swedish-born population, an increased OR (odds ratio) of LBW and post-term was found among migrants with and without refugee status (respectively: OR for refugees: 1.47 [95% CI: 1.33-1.63] and non-refugees:1.27 [95% CI: 1.18-1.38], for refugees: 1.41 [95% CI: 1.35-1.49] and non-refugees:1.04 [95% CI: 1.00-1.08]) with statistically significant differences between these two migrant categories. However, when looking at specific regions of origin, few regions show differences by refugee status. Compared to Swedes, lower or equal ORs of preterm and macrosomia are observed regardless of migratory status. Conclusions: Small or no differences were observed in birth outcomes among offspring of women coming from the same origin with different migratory status, compared to their Swedish counterparts. This suggests that information on migration status is not a relevant piece of information to identify immigrant women at higher risk of experiencing adverse reproductive outcomes. Our results however might be explained by the large proportion of women coming to Sweden for family reunification who are classified as non-refugee migrants.

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thokozile R. Malaba ◽  
◽  
Annibale Cois ◽  
Hlengiwe P. Madlala ◽  
Mushi Matjila ◽  
...  

Abstract Background High blood pressure (BP) late in pregnancy is associated with preterm delivery (PTD); BP has also been associated with HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART), but whether the relationship between BP assessed longitudinally over pregnancy and PTD and low birthweight (LBW) is modified by HIV/ART is unclear. We hypothesise the presence of distinctive BP trajectories and their association with adverse birth outcomes may be mediated by HIV/ART status. Methods We recruited pregnant women at a large primary care facility in Cape Town. BP was measured throughout pregnancy using automated monitors. Group-based trajectory modelling in women with ≥3 BP measurements identified distinct joint systolic and diastolic BP trajectory groups. Multinomial regression assessed BP trajectory group associations with HIV/ART status, and Poisson regression with robust error variance was used to assess risk of PTD and LBW. Results Of the 1583 women in this analysis, 37% were HIV-infected. Seven joint trajectory group combinations were identified, which were categorised as normal (50%), low normal (25%), high normal (20%), and abnormal (5%). A higher proportion of women in the low normal group were HIV-infected than HIV-uninfected (28% vs. 23%), however differences were not statistically significant (RR 1.27, 95% CI 0.98–1.63, reference category: normal). In multivariable analyses, low normal trajectory (aRR0.59, 0.41–0.85) was associated with decreased risk of PTD, while high normal (aRR1.48, 1.12–1.95) and abnormal trajectories (aRR3.18, 2.32–4.37) were associated with increased risk of PTD, and abnormal with increased risk of LBW (RR2.81, 1.90–4.15). Conclusions While HIV/ART did not appear to mediate the BP trajectories and adverse birth outcomes association, they did provide more detailed insights into the relationship between BP, PTD and LBW for HIV-infected and uninfected women.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Attila Vereczkey ◽  
Balázs Gerencsér ◽  
Andrew E Czeizel ◽  
István Szabó

<p><strong>Background:</strong> In general, previous epidemiological studies evaluated congenital heart defects (CHDs) together. The aim of the present study was to identify possible etiological factors of different CHD-entities, because the underlying causes are unclear in the vast majority of patients.</p><p><strong>Objectives:</strong> Different CHD-entities as homogeneously as possible with confirmed diagnoses were analyzed in the population-based large dataset of the Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance of Congenital Abnormalities.</p><p><strong>Methods</strong>: 3,750 live-born singleton CHD-patients were analyzed according to birth outcomes, i.e. gestational age at delivery and birth weight, the rate of preterm birth, low birthweight and small for gestational age.</p><p><strong>Results</strong>: The major findings of the study showed that cases with different CHD-entities had shorter gestational age at delivery and lower mean birth weight, and these variables associated with a higher rate of preterm birth and particularly with a much higher rate of low birthweight and small for gestational age. This study showed the importance of sex in the birth outcomes of some CHD-entities. The question is why several CHD-entities manifested more frequently in newborns with intrauterine growth restriction because fetal heart has a passive role before birth without pulmonary circulation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> The birth outcomes of cases indicate the effect of CHDs for fetal development. In addition maternal confounders have to consider. Finally, CHDs and intrauterine growth restriction as two developmental errors may have a common route, thus fetal growth and birthweight associated gene polymorphisms may have a role in the origin of CHDs.</p>


BMC Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Holger W. Unger ◽  
Valentina Laurita Longo ◽  
Andie Bleicher ◽  
Maria Ome-Kaius ◽  
Stephan Karl ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Iron deficiency (ID) has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, maternal anaemia, and altered susceptibility to infection. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), monthly treatment with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine plus azithromycin (SPAZ) prevented low birthweight (LBW; <2500 g) through a combination of anti-malarial and non-malarial effects when compared to a single treatment with SP plus chloroquine (SPCQ) at first antenatal visit. We assessed the relationship between ID and adverse birth outcomes in women receiving SPAZ or SPCQ, and the mediating effects of malaria infection and haemoglobin levels during pregnancy. Methods Plasma ferritin levels measured at antenatal enrolment in a cohort of 1892 women were adjusted for concomitant inflammation using C-reactive protein and α-1-acid glycoprotein. Associations of ID (defined as ferritin <15 μg/L) or ferritin levels with birth outcomes (birthweight, LBW, preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age birthweight [SGA]) were determined using linear or logistic regression analysis, as appropriate. Mediation analysis assessed the degree of mediation of ID-birth outcome relationships by malaria infection or haemoglobin levels. Results At first antenatal visit (median gestational age, 22 weeks), 1256 women (66.4%) had ID. Overall, ID or ferritin levels at first antenatal visit were not associated with birth outcomes. There was effect modification by treatment arm. Amongst SPCQ recipients, ID was associated with a 81-g higher mean birthweight (95% confidence interval [CI] 10, 152; P = 0.025), and a twofold increase in ferritin levels was associated with increased odds of SGA (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.25; 95% CI 1.06, 1.46; P = 0.007). By contrast, amongst SPAZ recipients, a twofold increase in ferritin was associated with reduced odds of LBW (aOR 0.80; 95% CI 0.67, 0.94; P = 0.009). Mediation analyses suggested that malaria infection or haemoglobin levels during pregnancy do not substantially mediate the association of ID with birth outcomes amongst SPCQ recipients. Conclusions Improved antenatal iron stores do not confer a benefit for the prevention of adverse birth outcomes in the context of malaria chemoprevention strategies that lack the non-malarial properties of monthly SPAZ. Research to determine the mechanisms by which ID protects from suboptimal foetal growth is needed to guide the design of new malaria prevention strategies and to inform iron supplementation policy in malaria-endemic settings. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01136850.


1994 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane E. Miller

SummaryThis study examines the effects of birth order and interpregnancy interval on birthweight, gestational age, weight-for-gestational age, infant length, and weight-for-length in a sample of 2063 births from a longitudinal study in the Philippines. First births are the most disadvantaged of any birth order/spacing group. The risks associated with short intervals (<6 months) and high birth order (fifth or higher) are confined to infants who have both attributes; there is no excess risk associated with short previous intervals among lower-order infants, nor for high birth order infants conceived after longer intervals. This pattern is observed for all five birth outcomes and neonatal mortality, and persists in models that control for mother's age, education, smoking, family health history and nutritional status. Since fewer than 2% of births are both short interval and high birth order, the potential reduction in the incidence of low birthweight or neonatal mortality from avoiding this category of high-risk births is quite small (1–2%).


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Moccia ◽  
Maja Popovic ◽  
Elena Isaevska ◽  
Valentina Fiano ◽  
Morena Trevisan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Low birthweight has been repeatedly associated with long-term adverse health outcomes and many non-communicable diseases. Our aim was to look-up cord blood birthweight-associated CpG sites identified by the PACE Consortium in infant saliva, and to explore saliva-specific DNA methylation signatures of birthweight. Methods DNA methylation was assessed using Infinium HumanMethylation450K array in 135 saliva samples collected from children of the NINFEA birth cohort at an average age of 10.8 (range 7–17) months. The association analyses between birthweight and DNA methylation variations were carried out using robust linear regression models both in the exploratory EWAS analyses and in the look-up of the PACE findings in infant saliva. Results None of the cord blood birthweight-associated CpGs identified by the PACE Consortium was associated with birthweight when analysed in infant saliva. In saliva EWAS analyses, considering a false discovery rate p-values < 0.05, birthweight as continuous variable was associated with DNA methylation in 44 CpG sites; being born small for gestational age (SGA, lower 10th percentile of birthweight for gestational age according to WHO reference charts) was associated with DNA methylation in 44 CpGs, with only one overlapping CpG between the two analyses. Despite no overlap with PACE results at the CpG level, two of the top saliva birthweight CpGs mapped at genes associated with birthweight with the same direction of the effect also in the PACE Consortium (MACROD1 and RPTOR). Conclusion Our study provides an indication of the birthweight and SGA epigenetic salivary signatures in children around 10 months of age. DNA methylation signatures in cord blood may not be comparable with saliva DNA methylation signatures at about 10 months of age, suggesting that the birthweight epigenetic marks are likely time and tissue specific.


2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 609.1-609
Author(s):  
J. Sabo ◽  
N. Singh ◽  
D. A. Crane ◽  
D. R. Doody ◽  
M. A. Schiff ◽  
...  

Background:Women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have greater risk of adverse obstetric and birth outcomes than women without these conditions. Infant outcomes are less well-studied. It is unknown whether re-hospitalization after delivery occurs more often for affected mothers and their infants.Objectives:We compared obstetric outcomes among women with and without RA or SLE, and birth outcomes among their infants. Maternal and infant rehospitalizations <2 years of delivery were also compared.Methods:This population-based cohort study used linked birth-hospital discharge data from Washington State for 1987-2014. International Classification of Disease 9th revision (ICD9) codes identified all women with RA (ICD9 714.X, 725.X) and SLE (ICD9 710, 710.0, 710.1) in the hospital discharge record at delivery, and a 10:1 comparison group of women without these codes. Analyses were restricted to singleton live births (1,223 RA; 1,354 SLE). Poisson regression with robust standard errors estimated relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for selected outcomes, accounting for delivery year, maternal age, and parity.Results:Many adverse outcomes were more common among RA and SLE cases than among comparison women. Preeclampsia occurred more often during pregnancies of women with RA (RR 1.42, 95% CI 1.17-1.71) or SLE (RR 2.33, 95% CI 2.01-2.70), as did preterm rupture of membranes (PROM, RR 2.85, 95% CI 2.20-3.72 for RA; RR 3.28, 95% CI 2.54-4.23 for SLE). Cesarean deliveries were more common among nulliparous women in both groups (RR 1.32, 95% CI 1.18-1.48 for both conditions). Infants of women with RA or SLE were more likely to weigh <2500 g (RR 2.08, 95% CI 1.72-2.52 for RA; RR 4.88, 95% CI 4.27-5.58 for SLE), be small for gestational age (RR 1.25, 95% CI 1.07-2.50; RR 2.30; 2.04-2.59, respectively), delivered at <32 weeks gestation (RR 1.83, 95% CI 1.13-2.97; RR 5.13, 95% CI 3.75-7.01, respectively), and require neonatal intensive care unit admission (NICU, RR 1.89, 95% CI 1.56-2.30; RR 2.71, 95% CI 2.25-3.28, respectively). Infants of women with SLE were more likely to have a malformation (RR 1.46, 95% CI 1.21-1.75) or die within 2 years (RR 2.11, 95% CI 1.21-3.67). Rehospitalization levels among both women with RA (RR 2.22; 1.62-3.04) and SLE (RR 2.78, 95% CI 2.15-3.59) were greatest <6 months of delivery and declined over time. Infants of women with SLE had increased rehospitalization <6 months (RR 1.64, 95% CI 1.36-1.98).Conclusion:Consistent with prior literature, we found women with RA or SLE experienced many adverse outcomes. In our data, these included preeclampsia, PROM, and cesarean deliveries, with increased risks more notable among women with SLE. Infants of women with either condition were more likely to weigh <2500g, be <32 weeks gestation, small for gestational age, and require NICU admission than infants of comparison women. Only infants of women with SLE had increased malformations. Maternal rehospitalization after delivery was more common in both groups; most marked at <6 months. Infant rehospitalizations were increased in both cohorts to a lesser extent. Close follow-up during this time period is crucial to minimize adverse outcomes.Disclosure of Interests:Julianna Sabo: None declared, Namrata Singh: None declared, Deborah A. Crane: None declared, David R. Doody: None declared, Melissa A. Schiff: None declared, Beth A. Mueller Shareholder of: Household owns shares in AstraZeneca


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanxia Xie ◽  
Xiaodong Wang ◽  
Yi Mu ◽  
Zheng Liu ◽  
Yanping Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractWe aimed to describe the characteristics of adolescent pregnancy, determine its effect on adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes and explore whether that association varies with gestational age with the goal of proposing specific recommendations for adolescent health in China. This study included 2,366,559 women aged 10–24 years who had singleton pregnancies between 2012 and 2019 at 438 hospitals. Adolescent pregnancy was defined as younger than 20 years of age. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the effects. Women aged 20–24 years served as the reference group in all analyses. The proportion of rural girls with adolescent pregnancies rebounded after 2015 even though common-law marriage in rural areas decreased. Higher risks of eclampsia (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.57 ~ 2.23), severe anaemia (aOR 1.18, 95% CI 1.09 ~ 1.28), maternal near miss (MNM; aOR 1.24, 95% CI 1.12 ~ 1.37), and small for gestational age (SGA; aOR 1.30, 95% CI 1.28 ~ 1.33) were observed when gestational age was > 37 weeks. Adolescent pregnancy was independently associated with increased risks of other perinatal outcomes. Further implementation of pregnancy prevention strategies and improved health care interventions are needed to reduce adolescent pregnancies and prevent adverse fertility outcomes among adolescent women in China at a time when adolescent fertility rate is rebounding.


1993 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 203-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger A Fay ◽  
David A Ellwood

Originally all low birthweight infants were considered to be premature. When prematurity was redefined in terms of gestational age (SGA) and not preterm. With the large scale collection of obstetric data the distributions of birthweight at different gestational ages were described and from these, infants who were SGA could be defined. SGA became synonymous with terms such as growth retardation, but it soon became appearent that the two were not necessarily interchangeable. Scott and Usher found that it was the degree of soft tissue wasting rather than birthweight that related to poor perinatal outcome. Miller and Hassanein stated that: “birthweight by itself is not a valid measure of fetal growth impairment”. They used Rorher’s Ponderal Index (weight (g) × 100/length (cm)) to diagnose the malnourished or excessively wasted infants with reduced soft tissue mass. Most studies of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) still use low birthweight for gestational age centile as their only definition of IUGR or only study infants who have a low birthweight. Altman and Hytten expressed disquiet about this definition and stated: “There is now an urgent need to establish true measures of fetal growth from which deviations indicating genuine growth retardation can be derived” and that “it is particularly important that some reliable measures of outcome should be established”. In large series of term deliveries published recently, two groups of IUGR infants with different growth patterens have been identified. These studies confirm that birthweight alone is inadequate to define the different types of IUGR. They established that low Ponderal Index (PI) is a measure of IUGR associated with an increased incidence of perinatal problems and that it is time to re-evaluate IUGR in terms of the different types of aberrant fetal growth.


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