Child malformation

Obesity in mothers is a decisive factors contributing to congenital malformations in the foetus.

A research carried out by the research teams of Universitat Autrnoma de Barcelona and l'Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona has revealed that obesity in mothers is one of the most decisive factors contributing to the appearance of congenital malformations in their children, even more so than the seriousness of the diabetes.

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In the children of women with gestational diabetes, which is first detected during pregnancy, the risk of malformations does not increase so much, but it still exists. In this case, during the period when the embryo's organs are forming the glucose levels are usually fairly unaltered.

A research team headed by Doctor Rosa Corcoy analysed the relationship between the mother's glucose levels and congenital malformations in the children of mothers with gestational diabetes and found that the body mass index, which indicates obesity, is more important for predicting malformations than other variables that indicate the seriousness of the maternal diabetes mellitus.

In a study of 2060 children, the researches decided to include the body mass index as a variable for the statistical analysis now that it has been demonstrated that obesity plays a part in congenital malformations in embryos, especially those related to the heart and the central nervous system.

According to the study's results, the mother's degree of obesity is the main predicting factor for cardiac malformations and minor malformations, and the only factor able to predict renal and urinary tract malformations. The seriousness of the mother's gestational diabetes, however, was the only factor that could predict skeletal malformations.