Heat Exposure During Pregnancy Linked to Severe Maternal Morbidity
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Sept. 11, 2023 -- Long- and short-term heat exposure during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk for severe maternal morbidity (SMM), according to a study published online Sept. 7 in JAMA Network Open.
Anqi Jiao, from the University of California at Irvine, and colleagues conducted a retrospective population-based epidemiological cohort study at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, between Jan. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2018, to examine the associations between long- and short-term maternal heat exposure and SMM. Data were included for 3,446 SMM cases among 403,602 pregnancies (0.9 percent).
The researchers observed significant associations between SMM and long-term heat exposure during pregnancy and during the third trimester. High exposure (≥80th percentile of the proportions) to extreme heat days during pregnancy and the third trimester were linked to increases in the risk for SMM (27 and 28 percent, respectively). Under all heatwave definitions, elevated SMM risks were significantly associated with short-term heatwave exposure. The magnitude of associations increased from the least to the most severe heatwave exposure (odds ratios, 1.32 to 2.39, respectively). Mothers with lower educational attainment and those whose pregnancies started in the cold season (November through April) had greater associations (odds ratios for high exposure to extreme heat days during pregnancy, 1.43 and 1.37, respectively).
"These results indicate the potential benefit of targeted interventions to reduce the risk of SMM by mitigating maternal heat exposure, especially among mothers with low socioeconomic status," the authors write.
One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted September 2023
Read this next
Sociodemographics Tied to Rehab Use During Critical Illness Hospitalization
FRIDAY, May 10, 2024 -- For older adults hospitalized with a stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), social determinants of health (SDOH) are associated with use of skilled...
Breakthrough Gene Therapy Enables Infant Born Deaf to Hear
FRIDAY, May 10, 2024 -- Significant hearing improvements have been achieved in an infant with profound hearing loss due to a biallelic otoferlin gene (OTOF) mutation, according to...
Implantable Continuous Flow Device Feasible for Small Children With Severe Systolic Heart Failure
FRIDAY, May 10, 2024 -- The Jarvik 2015 left ventricular assist device (LVAD) seems promising as an implantable continuous flow device for small children with severe systolic...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.