Maternal obesity and adverse respiratory outcomes in late preterm neonates

BACKGROUND: Assessing if obesity is an independent risk factor for neonatal respiratory adverse outcome in late preterm infants. METHODS: Retrospective collection of outcome data of late preterm infants delivered at the Arcispedale Sant’Anna of Ferrara, between 2017 and 2019. A univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis has been performed among variables theoretically conditioning the neonate outcome variables. Among independent variables, Body Mass Index ≥25 and ≥30 was assessed. RESULTS: One-hundred-fifty-five late preterm infants have been enrolled. At univariate analysis, neither obesity (Body Mass Index ≥30) nor overweight (Body Mass Index ≥25) are associated with adverse respiratory outcomes. At multivariate analysis, Body Mass Index ≥30 fails to reach significance for preventing transient tachypnea of the newborn (odds ratio 0.392, 95% confidence intervals 0.138-1.113, P=0.079). Betamethasone administration independently reduces the odds ratio for transient tachypnea, while gestational age of 34 weeks independently increases the odds ratio of adverse neonatal respiratory outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the study does not support the hypothesis that obesity affects respiratory outcomes at birth in late preterm babies. It would push to assess further the relationship with obesity and transient tachypnea of the neonates.