Association between maternal serum lipid profiles in early pregnancy and the risk of congenital heart disease in offspring: a prospective cohort study

Abstract

Abstract Objective: This study aims to investigate the association of maternal serum lipid profiles in early pregnancy and the risk of congenital heart disease (CHD) in offspring. Methods: This study was based on the Fujian Birth Cohort Study (FJBCS) which was a prospective ongoing study in China. We recruited pregnant women at ≤14 weeks of gestation between 2019 and 2022, and all participants in this study filled out the questionnaire on periconceptional exposure. Simultaneously, we collected participants’ fasting blood samples to measure their lipid profiles by automatic biochemical analyzer. The outcome was defined as offspring with or without CHD. In a multivariable logistic regression model, risk estimates were calculated for associations between maternal lipid profiles and CHD in offspring. Restricted cubic splines were used to estimate the nonlinear relationship between lipid profiles levels and CHD. Results: A total of 21425 pregnant women with an average gestational age of 11.3 (± 1.40) weeks were included in the analysis. The higher triglyceride (TG) (AOR 1.201, 95%CI [1.036,1.394]), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (AOR 1.216, 95% CI [1.048,1.410]), apolipoprotein B (Apo B) (AOR 2.107, 95% CI [1.179,3.763]) levels were correlated with increased odds of CHD in offspring. The restricted cubic spline suggested a nonlinear relationship between total cholesterol (TC) levels and the risk of CHD in offspring (P=0.0048). Conclusions: Elevated maternal serum lipid profiles levels are associated with an increased risk of CHD in offspring. Additionally, there is a non-linear relationship between TC levels and the risk of CHD in offspring.