Does the BMI of Expectant Mothers Influence the Concentration of C-Reactive Protein in Newborns in the Early Neonatal Period?

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study is to determine the effect of body mass index in pregnancy on the CRP concentration in pregnant women and their newborn. The results of the study will serve as a guide for a more valid assessment of slightly elevated concentrations of CRP and a potential new guide for the treatment of newborns with antibiotics.

Method: The research is a cohort prospective study of 2 groups of pregnant women and their newborn with respect to the body mass index of the pregnant women prior to delivery. The study included 128 pregnant women and their newborn whose serum was analysed to ascertain CRP concentration.

Results: The CRP concentration in pregnant women with an elevated BMI was higher than in the pregnant women with normal BMI during pregnancy. The difference is statistically significant (p<0.001). The CRP concentration taken from the umbilical cord and during the second day of life of the newborn of the pregnant women with an elevated BMI was statistically significantly higher than in the newborn of the pregnant women with normal BMI during pregnancy (p<0.001). A repeated blood test conducted between the third and fifth day of life showed that the concentration of CRP in the newborn of both study groups was within referential values.

Conclusion: The study indicates a significant correlation between BMI in pregnancy and CRP concentration in pregnant women and their newborn. The results of this study are a potential milepost in addressing the dilemma of whether to administer antibiotics to newborns with elevated CRP values (<20 mg/L) without aggravating their clinical condition. It may be necessary to simply repeat the laboratory tests of CRP in the blood of the newborn in the first days of life and thus follow its dynamics.

Zusammenfassung

Ziel: dieser Studie ist die Einflussbestimmung des Body-Mass-Index während der Schwangerschaft auf die CRP-Konzentration bei Schwangeren und Neugeborenen. Die Forschungsergebnisse werden ein Wegweiser für mehr reale Abschätzung der leicht gestiegenen CRP-Konzentration, sowie mögliche neue Leitlinien der antibiotischen Behandlung von Neugeborenen sein.

Methode: Diese Studie ist eine prospektive Kohortenstudie an 2 Gruppen von Schwangeren und deren Neugeborenen im Bezug auf den Body-Mass-Index vor der Geburt. Die Studie umfasste 128 schwangere Frauen und deren Neugeborenen, wobei die CRP-Konzentration im Serum analysiert wurde.

Ergebnisse: Die CRP-Konzentration bei Schwangeren mit erhöhtem BMI ist größer als bei den Schwangeren mit dem normalen BMI in der Schwangerschaft. Der Unterscheid ist statistisch bedeutend (p<0,001). Die CRP-Konzentration in der Nabelschnur und am zweiten Lebenstag von Neugeborenen war bei den Schwangeren mit erhöhtem BMI statistisch bedeutend höher, als bei den Neugeborenen von Schwangeren mit dem normalen BMI in der Schwangerschaft (p<0,001). Die wiederholte Analyse zwischen dem dritten und fünften Lebenstag zeigte die CRP-Konzentration bei Neugeborenen der beiden Testgruppen innerhalb der Referenzwerte.

Schlussfolgerung: Wir glauben, die zukünftigen ähnlichen Studien werden zu neuen Leitlinien beitragen, die davon ausgehen werden, dass der BMI von Schwangeren vor der Geburt ein wichtiger Faktor für den Entschluss über die empirische antibiotische Behandlung von Neugeborenen ist. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie sind ein potentieller Wegweiser beim Dilemma, ob die Antibiotika bei Neugeborenen mit erhöhtem CRP (bis 20 mg/L) einzusetzen sind, ohne den klinischen Zustand zu verschlechtern.

Key words

pregnancy - obesity - infant - C-reactive protein

Schlüsselwörter

Schwangerschaft - Übergewicht - infant - C-reaktives Protein

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