TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of maternal obesity on neonatal heart rate and cardiac size
AU - Groves, Alan M
AU - Price, Anthony N
AU - Russell-Webster, Tamarind
AU - Jhaveri, Simone
AU - Yang, Yang
AU - Battersby, Ellie E
AU - Shahid, Shiffa
AU - Costa Vieira, Matais
AU - Hughes, Emer
AU - Miller, Faith
AU - Briley, Annette L
AU - Singh, Claire
AU - Seed, Paul T
AU - Chowienczyk, Phillip J
AU - Stern, Kenan W D
AU - Cohen, Jennifer
AU - Pasupathy, Dharmintra
AU - Edwards, A David
AU - Poston, Lucilla
AU - Taylor, Paul D
N1 - © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
PY - 2021/11/17
Y1 - 2021/11/17
N2 - BACKGROUND: Maternal obesity may increase offspring risk of cardiovascular disease. We assessed the impact of maternal obesity on cardiac structure and function in newborns as a marker of fetal cardiac growth.METHODS: Neonates born to mothers of healthy weight (body mass index (BMI) 20-25 kg/m2, n=56) and to mothers who were obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2, n=31) underwent 25-minute continuous ECG recording and non-sedated, free-breathing cardiac MRI within 72 hours of birth.RESULTS: Mean (SD) heart rate during sleep was higher in infants born to mothers who were versus were not obese (123 (12.6) vs 114 (9.8) beats/min, p=0.002). Heart rate variability during sleep was lower in infants born to mothers who were versus were not obese (SD of normal-to-normal R-R interval 34.6 (16.8) vs 43.9 (16.5) ms, p=0.05). Similar heart rate changes were seen during wakefulness. Left ventricular end-diastolic volume (2.35 (0.14) vs 2.54 (0.29) mL/kg, p=0.03) and stroke volume (1.50 (0.09) vs 1.60 (0.14), p=0.04) were decreased in infants born to mothers who were versus were not obese. There were no differences in left ventricular end-systolic volume, ejection fraction, output or myocardial mass between the groups.CONCLUSION: Maternal obesity was associated with increased heart rate, decreased heart rate variability and decreased left ventricular volumes in newborns. If persistent, these changes may provide a causal mechanism for the increased cardiovascular risk in adult offspring of mothers with obesity. In turn, modifying antenatal and perinatal maternal health may have the potential to optimise long-term cardiovascular health in offspring.
AB - BACKGROUND: Maternal obesity may increase offspring risk of cardiovascular disease. We assessed the impact of maternal obesity on cardiac structure and function in newborns as a marker of fetal cardiac growth.METHODS: Neonates born to mothers of healthy weight (body mass index (BMI) 20-25 kg/m2, n=56) and to mothers who were obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2, n=31) underwent 25-minute continuous ECG recording and non-sedated, free-breathing cardiac MRI within 72 hours of birth.RESULTS: Mean (SD) heart rate during sleep was higher in infants born to mothers who were versus were not obese (123 (12.6) vs 114 (9.8) beats/min, p=0.002). Heart rate variability during sleep was lower in infants born to mothers who were versus were not obese (SD of normal-to-normal R-R interval 34.6 (16.8) vs 43.9 (16.5) ms, p=0.05). Similar heart rate changes were seen during wakefulness. Left ventricular end-diastolic volume (2.35 (0.14) vs 2.54 (0.29) mL/kg, p=0.03) and stroke volume (1.50 (0.09) vs 1.60 (0.14), p=0.04) were decreased in infants born to mothers who were versus were not obese. There were no differences in left ventricular end-systolic volume, ejection fraction, output or myocardial mass between the groups.CONCLUSION: Maternal obesity was associated with increased heart rate, decreased heart rate variability and decreased left ventricular volumes in newborns. If persistent, these changes may provide a causal mechanism for the increased cardiovascular risk in adult offspring of mothers with obesity. In turn, modifying antenatal and perinatal maternal health may have the potential to optimise long-term cardiovascular health in offspring.
U2 - 10.1136/archdischild-2021-322860
DO - 10.1136/archdischild-2021-322860
M3 - Article
C2 - 34789488
SN - 1468-2052
JO - ADC Fetal & Neonatal
JF - ADC Fetal & Neonatal
ER -