MATERNAL ANEMIA AND LONG-TERM OFFSPRING INFECTIOUS MORBIDITY

Objective Anemia of pregnancy is a common condition associated with adverse obstetric outcomes. However, little is known about its long-term effect on the offspring. This study aimed to evaluate a possible association between anemia during pregnancy and the long-term incidence of infectious morbidity in the offspring. Study Design A large population-based retrospective study was conducted at Soroka University Medical Center (SUMC), the sole tertiary medical center in the south of Israel. The study included deliveries between the years 1991 - 2014 and compared long-term infectious morbidity of offspring of women with and without anemia during pregnancy (defined as hemoglobin level below 11 g/dL). The long-term incremental incidence of hospitalizations of offspring up to 18 years of age due to infectious morbidity was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival curves, while Cox regression model was used to control for confounders. Results During the study period, 214,244 deliveries met the inclusion criteria, of which 110,775 (51.7%) newborns were born to mothers with anemia during pregnancy. The overall infectious-related hospitalizations rate was significantly higher in children from the exposed group (OR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.04-1.10, p<0.01). Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed a significantly higher cumulative incidence of hospitalizations due to infectious diseases as compared to children in the unexposed group (log-rank, p<0.01). The Cox model demonstrated a significant and independent association between maternal anemia and the long-term risk for hospitalization due to infectious diseases of the offspring (aHR 1.09, 95% CI 1.06 - 1.12, p<0.01). Conclusion Offspring of anemic mothers are at a greater risk for infectious-related hospitalizations in their first 18 years of life.