Premium
Maternal asthma and early fetal growth, the MAESTRO study
Author(s) -
Rejnö Gustaf,
Lundholm Cecilia,
Saltvedt Sissel,
Larsson Kjell,
Almqvist Catarina
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
clinical and experimental allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2222
pISSN - 0954-7894
DOI - 10.1111/cea.13864
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , asthma , intrauterine growth restriction , obstetrics , gestational age , birth weight , percentile , odds ratio , small for gestational age , cohort , fetal growth , fetus , pediatrics , statistics , genetics , mathematics , biology
Background Several maternal conditions can affect fetal growth, and asthma during pregnancy is known to be associated with lower birth weight and shorter gestational age. Objective In a new Swedish cohort study on maternal asthma exposure and stress during pregnancy (MAESTRO), we have assessed if there is evidence of early fetal growth restriction in asthmatic women or if a growth restriction might come later during pregnancy. Methods We recruited women from eight antenatal clinics in Stockholm, Sweden. Questionnaires on background factors, asthma status and stress were assessed during pregnancy. The participants were asked to consent to collection of medical records including ultrasound measures during pregnancy, and linkage to national health registers. In women with and without asthma, we studied reduced or increased growth by comparing the second‐trimester ultrasound with first‐trimester estimation. We defined reduced growth as estimated days below the 10th percentile and increased growth as days above the 90th percentile. At birth, the weight and length of the newborn and the gestational age was compared between women with and without asthma. Results We enrolled 1693 participants in early pregnancy and collected data on deliveries and ultrasound scans in 1580 pregnancies, of which 18% of the mothers had asthma. No statistically significant reduced or increased growth between different measurement points were found when women with and without asthma were compared; adjusted odds ratios for reduced growth between first and second trimester 1.11 95% CI (0.63–1.95) and increased growth 1.09 95% CI (0.68–1.77). Conclusion and clinical relevance In conclusion, we could not find evidence supporting an influence of maternal asthma on early fetal growth in the present cohort: Although the relatively small sample size, which may enhance the risk of a type II error, it is concluded that a potential difference is likely to be very small.