Clin Exp Pediatr.  2022 Oct;65(10):500-506. 10.3345/cep.2022.00122.

Mediation effect of cord blood cortisol levels between maternal prepregnancy body mass index and birth weight: a hospital-based cross-sectional study

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Paediatrics, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
  • 2Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India

Abstract

Background
Changes in maternal weight affect the maternal and fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, influencing birth weight and contributing to the fetal origin of adult diseases (Barker’s hypothesis). This study primarily focused on cord blood cortisol levels and identified the association between maternal prepregnancy body mass index (pre-BMI) and birth weight. It also assessed cord blood lipid profile changes related to maternal pre-BMI, birth weight, and cord blood cortisol levels. Purpose: To study the mediation effect of cord blood cortisol level between maternal pre-BMI and birth weight and its correlation with cord blood lipid profile.
Methods
A total of 169 maternal-neonatal pairs were included at 2 tertiary care centers. Mediation analysis was used to estimate the extent of the association between maternal weight changes and birth weight.
Results
For each unit increase in maternal pre-BMI, birth weight increased by 90.5 g; for every kilogram increase in gestational weight, birth weight increased by 128.44 g. No considerable mediation effect of cortisol was found between pre-BMI and gestational weight gain or between rate of weight gain and birth weight. Pre-BMI and birth weight had a significant negative correlation with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, i.e., HDL-C was decreased by 1.1 mg/dL for every unit increase in BMI (P=0.017) and for every 100-g increase in birth weight, HDL-C decreased by 0.6 mg/dL (P=0.046). A significant positive correlation was found between cord blood lipid profile and cortisol levels, especially HDL-C (P=0.041).
Conclusion
Cord blood cortisol levels did not mediate the association between maternal weight change and birth weight. A positive correlation was noted between cord blood cortisol levels and HDL-C level. Cord blood HDL-C level was negatively correlated with maternal pre-BMI and birth weight.

Keyword

Cortisol; Gestational weight gain; Body mass index; Birth weight; Lipids
Full Text Links
  • CEP
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr