Maternal obesity and child health at different ages

In recent years, the number of obese women of childbearing age has increased significantly. The aim of this study was to reveal the influence of maternal obesity during pregnancy on the longterm health of the offspring. This study was performed in the outpatient clinic in St. Petersburg with 76 adolescents with chronic diseases aged from 6 to 17 years. The mean age of the examined was 12.67 ± 3.19 years; the ratio of girls to boys was 6 : 7. Children were divided into 2 groups: the main group included 26 adolescents whose mothers were obese before and during pregnancy. 50 teen agers from mothers with normal BMI during pregnancy presented comparison group. The main group and the comparison group did not differ in age and sex. The children were examined by a pediatrician. Data on the transferred diseases are obtained from an outpatient card. It has been established that maternal obesity may be considered a risk factor for miscarriage, having low birth weight babies or babies weighing more than 4 kg, as well as a risk factor for rickets, parathrophies and functional constipation in the first year of life. In adolescentes, obesity, euthyroid goiter, hypothalamic syndrome and other endocrinopathies are typical for children born from obese mothers. Several medical conditions related to obesity such as chronic pancreatitis, hiatal hernia, iron deficiency anemia and orthopaedic foot and ankle pathology are commonly seen in children of obese mothers. Maternal obesity is associated with diseases of children not only in the period of newborn, but also in adolescence.