Association Between Maternal Blood Lipids Levels During Pregnancy and Risk of Small-For-Gestational-Age Infants

Abstract Background: Dyslipidemia in pregnancy are associated with risk of adverse outcomes, such as gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, preterm birth, and small-for-gestational-age. As an adverse pregnancy outcome, small-for-gestational-age has been extensively studied in Western countries. However, similar studies have rarely been conducted in Asian countries.Methods: Data were derived from 5695 pairs of non-diabetic mothers and neonates between 1 Jan 2014 and 31 Dec 2014. Serum samples were collected during second and third trimesters for evaluation on fasting total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. The present study intended to explore the associations between maternal lipid profile and small-for-gestational-age neonates. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated and adjusted via logistic regression analysis.Results: After adjustments for confounders, third-trimester total cholesterol levels were associated with a decreased risk for small-for-gestational-age (aOR = 0.622, 95% CI: 0.458–0.848), and third-trimester high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were associated with an increased risk for small-for-gestational-age (aOR = 1.955, 95% CI: 1.465–2.578; aOR = 1.403, 95% CI: 1.014–1.944). The effect of third-trimester high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels on the risk for small-for-gestational-age rose across different gestational weight gain strata.Conclusions: High high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level during third trimester could be considered as indicators of a high-risk of small-for-gestational-age, regardless of gestational weight gain. Lowering high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels may help to reduce the incidence of small-for-gestational-age.