Associations of maternal weight status with the risk of offspring atopic dermatitis and wheezing by one year of age

Maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) may cause offspring allergic disorders. However, associations observed in previous studies are inconsistent and might be confounded by unmeasured familial factors. Wei X. et al., in their study, examined the associations of maternal weight with offspring allergic disorders by using paternal BMI as a negative control exposure.

The investigators included the data of 10,522 children from the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study. They derived the data on maternal weight from questionnaires and obstetric records and paternal weight from questionnaires. Their study defined Atopic dermatitis (AD) and wheezing at one year of age according to parent-reported physician diagnosis; and estimated Risk ratios (RRs) by log- binominal regression with mutual adjustment for maternal and paternal weight status.

They found that by the age of 1 year, 16.2% and 7.9% of children were diagnosed with AD and wheezing, respectively. While maternal pre-pregnancy BMI as a continuous variable did not show an association with offspring AD, infants of pre-pregnancy overweight/obese women depicted a higher risk of AD than those born to normal-weight women; no such associations existed for paternal BMI.

Both maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and paternal BMI showed a positive association with the risk of offspring wheezing. Maternal GWG did not associate with AD or wheezing.

Through these findings, the authors suggest that maternal pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity might increase the risk of infant AD via intrauterine mechanisms, while uncontrolled familial factors might confound the association with wheezing. These findings may help prevent early-life offspring allergic diseases.

Wei X, Huang P, Gao C, et al. Associations of maternal weight status with the risk of offspring atopic dermatitis and wheezing by 1 year of age. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. 2022;33(1):e13703. https://doi.org/10.1111/pai.13703