[Congenital malformations and chronic diseases of the mother. Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations (ECLAMC) 1971-1999].
BACKGROUND
Several maternal diseases, such as diabetes mellitus or high blood pressure, are associated with a higher risk for fetal or neonatal problems.


OBJECTIVE
To study the association between chronic diseases of the mother and congenital malformations.


METHODS
Review of the records of the Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations (ECLAMC) at the University of Chile Clinical Hospital. A sample of 383 mothers with a chronic disease was compared with 297 healthy mothers. The presence of congenital malformations in the newborns was studied. The odds ratio (OR) of a mother to have a child with a congenital malformation was calculated.


RESULTS
Mothers with bronchial asthma, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hypothyroidism had an OR over 1 of having a child with a congenital malformation. No association between maternal obesity and offspring malformations was observed. Offspring of diabetic mothers had 8.95 times more probabilities of having a major malformation and 4.95 times more probabilities of having a minor defect.


CONCLUSIONS
Offspring of mothers with diabetes mellitus, bronchial asthma, hypertension or hypothyroidism have a higher risk of presenting a congenital malformation, when compared with offspring of healthy mothers.
Ordóñez
María Paz
MP
Universidad de los Andes.
Nazer
Julio
J
Aguila
Alfredo
A
Cifuentes
Lucía
L
D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors