ABSTRACT
Objectives: Whereas coverage of antenatal iron supplementation is low and benefits are uncertain, there are concerns that it can increase the burden of malaria, with potentially devastating effects on maternal and neonatal health outcomes. We aimed to measure the effect of iron supplementation during pregnancy on maternal Plasmodium infection assessed at delivery, birth weight, gestational age, fetal growth and maternal and infant iron status. Methods: Rural Kenyan women (n=470) with singleton pregnancies, gestational age 13─23 weeks and haemoglobin concentration ≥ 90 g/L were randomised to supervised daily supplementation with iron (60 mg as ferrous fumarate) or placebo until 1 month postpartum. To prevent severe anaemia, all women additionally received 5.7 mg iron/day through flour fortification. Intermittent preventive treatment against malaria was given as usual. Plasmodium infection was assessed at birth by dipstick tests, PCR and histological examination of placental biopsies. Results: There was no evident effect on Plasmodium infection (both intervention groups: 45%; difference, 95% CI: 0%, ─9% to 9%). Iron supplementation increased birth weight by 143g (95% CI: 58─228g) and reduced the prevalence of low birth weight (<2,500g) by 65% (95% CI: 13%─86%). The effect on birth weight was larger in women who were initially iron-deficient than in those who were iron-replete (250 g versus ─13 g; p-interaction=0.008), and the improved birth weight seemed achieved mostly through improved fetal growth. Iron supplementation resulted in improved maternal iron status at 1 month postpartum, and improved infant iron stores. Conclusions: Coverage of universal antenatal iron supplementation must be increased.
ABSTRACT
Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a high incidence disease. Easily measured predictor factors could help to implement preventive policies and early detection tests. Aim: To measure recognizable risk factors for GDM such as skinfolds and analyze the association between these factors and the development of GDM in a cohort of pregnant women. Material and Methods: Evaluation of 76 mothers that developed gestational diabetes, aged 32.2 ± 0.6 years and 324 control mothers that did not develop the disease, aged 30.1 ± 0.3 years. Weight, height, arm circumference, tricipital, bicipital, subscapular, suprailiac, knee, costal and mid-thigh skinfolds were measured in the pre-diseased stage. History of diabetes, fasting glucose and insulin levels were also evaluated. Results: Age, body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose, the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA), bi-cipital, tricipital, costal, subscapular, suprailiac, and knee skinfolds were associated with GDM development. Age, fasting blood glucose and subscapular skinfolds were independent predictors in the logistic regression model. The odds ratio for a subs-capular skinfold over percentile 90 was 1.7 (95 percent confdence intervals: 1.07-3.04). Conclusions: Age and fasting blood glucose are independent risk factors for GDM. Subscapular skinfold is also an independent risk factor and could be used to detect high risk pregnant women and implement preventive policies.
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Pregnancy , Anthropometry , Diabetes, Gestational/diagnosis , Diabetes, Gestational/etiology , Epidemiologic Methods , Skinfold ThicknessABSTRACT
Evidence suggests that risk of chronic diseases may be programmed during the foetal and early life of the infant. With high rates of low birthweight coupled with a rapid nutritional transition, low-income countries are facing an epidemic of chronic diseases. Follow-up of a cohort of adults born during 1964-1978 in an urban slum in Lahore, Pakistan, is presented in this paper. In 695 of these adults (mean age=29.0 years, males=56%), blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and body mass index (BMI) were measured to assess early-life predictors of risk of chronic diseases. Sixteen percent of the study population was born with a low birthweight (<2,500 g). A significant positive association (p=0.007) was observed between birthweight and BMI; additionally, adjusting for age and gender, the association with BMI was highly significant (p=0.000). Conversely, a significant negative association (p=0.016) was observed between birthweight and adult levels of fasting plasma glucose; after adjustment for age and gender, the association was more significant (p=0.005) No association was observed between birthweight and adult blood pressure. The results suggest that low birthweight may increase later risk of impaired glucose tolerance in urban Pakistani adults. Further research in this area is warranted.