TITLE:
Gestational obesity and risk of hypospadias in male newborns. A population based case-control study
AUTHORS:
Tariq O. Abbas, Mansour Ali, Ashraf A. Ibrahim
KEYWORDS:
Maternal Obesity; Hypospadias; Genital Birth Defects
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.3 No.4,
December
5,
2013
ABSTRACT: Aim: Hypospadias is a relatively common male genital
anomaly that may be caused by anomalies in maternal hormone levels and/or blood
glucose levels as well as nutritional deficiencies. Maternal obesity, which
increases the risk of diabetes, may alter hormone levels, and may thereby be
associated with risk of hypospadias. This study was designed to determine the
impact of these risk factors on hypospadias in boys born at the largest
tertiary hospital in Qatar. Methods: This population-based, case-control study
used linked birth-hospital discharge data from Hamad General Hospital in Doha,
Qatar, from January 2007 to December 2012. Boys with hypospadias were
identified, and risk factors were determined. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and
95% confidence intervals (CIs) for hypospadias were estimated by multivariable
logistic regression models adjusted for maternal age, parity and body mass
index (BMI). Results: Seventy-three newborn male infants with hypospadias and
100 without the condition, with birth weight above 2500 g, were compared.
Maternal obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) was not associated with risk of
hypospadias (aOR 1.07; 95% 0.95 - 1.21), and no trend in risk with increasing maternal BMI was observed. Conclusion: Although the causes of male genital malformation are multifactorial, the
present data do not support the hypothesis that gestational maternal obesity is
a cause of hypospadias in male infants.