A population-based case-control study of the association between weather-related extreme heat events and neural tube defects

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Birth Defects Res
• Personal Author:
  Soim, Aida ; Lin, Shao ; Sheridan, Scott C. ; Hwang, Syni-An ; Hsu, Wan-Hsiang ; Luben, Thomas J. ; Shaw, Gary M. ; Feldkamp, Marcia L. ; Romitti, Paul A. ; Reefhuis, Jennita ; Langlois, Peter H. ; Browne, Marilyn L.
• Description:
  Background
  
  Elevated body core temperature has been shown to have teratogenic effects in animal studies. Our study evaluated the association between weather-related extreme heat events (EHEs) in the summer season and neural tube defects (NTDs), and further investigated whether pregnant women with a high pre-gestational body mass index (BMI) have a greater risk of having a child with NTDs associated with exposure to EHE than women with a normal BMI.
  
  Methods
  
  We conducted a population-based case-control study among mothers of infants with NTDs and mothers of infants without major birth defects, who participated in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study and had at least one day of the third or fourth week post-conception during summer months. EHEs were defined using the 95th and the 90th percentiles of the daily maximum universal apparent temperature. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using unconditional logistic regression models with Firth’s penalized likelihood method while controlling for other known risk factors.
  
  Results
  
  Overall, we did not observe a significant association between EHEs and NTDs. At the climate region level, consistently elevated but not statistically significant estimates were observed for EHE95 in New York (Northeast), North Carolina and Georgia (Southeast), and Iowa (Upper Midwest). No effect modification by BMI was observed.
  
  Conclusion
  
  EHEs occurring during the relevant developmental window of embryogenesis do not appear to appreciably affect the risk of NTDs. Future studies should refine exposure assessment, and more completely account for maternal activities that may modify the effects of weather exposure.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Adult Body Mass Index Body Temperature Case-Control Studies Extreme Heat Female Hot Temperature Humans Logistic Models Mothers Neural Tube Defects Odds Ratio Population Surveillance Pregnancy Risk Factors Seasons Temperature Weather Young Adult

  More +
• Source:
  Birth Defects Res. 109(18):1482-1493.
• Pubmed ID:
  28766872
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC5759787
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  R21 ES021359/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United States ; U01 DD001032/DD/NCBDD CDC HHS/United States
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Volume:
  109
• Issue:
  18
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:24ba19274fdfe5d8b620e47d482a034f23d34e1a5205d744673d16f27f223ff2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/50780/cdc_50780_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 477.79 KB ]