Obese Pregnant Women Can Give Birth to Babies With Heart Defects

“Congenital heart defects are the most common types of birth defect, and among all birth defects, they are a leading cause of illness, death and medical expenditures.”

– Dr.Edwin Trevathan, Expert on birth defects and developmental disabilities, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Obese pregnant mothers are 18% more likely to give birth to babies with heart defects. For severely obese women, this percentage of likelihood is 33%. These are latest findings of research studies(dated October 1, 2009), carried out at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Knowledge Gained from the Research:

• The babies born from obese pregnant women had defects on the right side of the heart.
• There are defects found in the tissues connecting the upper chambers of the heart.
• Obesity in the pregnant women was assessed based on the factor Body Mass Index.
• It relates weight of a person to the height.
• The Study associated obesity with 10 out of the 25 kinds of heart defects.
• 5 out of the 10 defects were related exclusively to obese pregnant women.

Significance of this Research Finding:

On July 2009 a report was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on Obesity in America. According to that report, Obesity is presently an Epidemic in America. Two thirds of American adults are over weight or obese. 23 states recorded an increase in obesity rate. Not a single state reported of decline in the obesity rate compared to last year. In 49 states, Adult Obesity rate is above 20%. In light of the above Statistics, the present research finding relating obesity in pregnant women and heart defects in infants, holds substantial importance.

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