The effect of obesity in pregnancy on perinatal outeome in Qatar

Abstract EN

To determine the prevalence of obesity amongst preg-liant women in Qatar and to compare pregnancy cotnpli-cations and perinatal outcome among obese and non-obese women, a retrospective controlled study was conducted at the Women 's Hospital, Doha, during the period from 1st January to the end of June 2001.

We compared 75 obese and 75 non-obese women matchedfor age and parity.

Maternal demografic variables included maternal age, parity, race and body mass index.

The antepartum vari-ables were gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hyper-tension (PIH), abruptio placentae and intrauterine growth restriction.

Intrapartum variables werepreterm labor, mode of delivery and meconium in labor.

Neonatal variables in-eluded low birth weight, macrosomia, low Apgar score, still-birth and admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Comparedto non-obese women, obesepregnant women had significantly adverse perinatal ()[{،comes including gestational diabetes (34.

7 % vs.

12 %, p < 0.

001), PIH (16 % vs.

2.

7 %, p = 0.

012), macrosomia (20% vs.

6.

7 %, p = 0.

031), cesarean section (29.

3 % vs.

13.

3 %, p=0.038) and admis-sion to NICU (17.3 vs.

5.3%, p=0.039).

Other adverse out-comes were higher in the obese group but the differences were not statistically significant.

Obesity /اا pregnancy’ appears to be an independent risk factorforadverseperinataloutcome.

Maternal obesity may be one of the most important preventable risk factors for perinatal morbidity and mortality.