TY - JOUR
T1 - Cord Blood FGF-21 and GDF-15 Levels Are Affected by Maternal Exposure to Moderate to Severe Anemia and Malaria
AU - Hjort, Line
AU - Wewer Albrechtsen, Nicolai J
AU - Minja, Daniel
AU - Rasmussen, Christine
AU - Møller, Sofie Lykke
AU - Lusingu, John
AU - Theander, Thor
AU - Bygbjerg, Ib Christian
AU - Schmiegelow, Christentze
AU - Grunnet, Louise Groth
N1 - © The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society.
PY - 2023/8/28
Y1 - 2023/8/28
N2 - CONTEXT: Anemia and malaria are global health problems affecting >50% of pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa and are associated with intrauterine growth restriction. The hormones fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) are involved in metabolic regulation and are expressed in the placenta. No studies exist on FGF-21 and GDF-15 responses to exposures of malaria and anemia in pregnancy.OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: Using a prospective, longitudinal pregnancy and birth cohort of women with an average age of 26 years from a rural region in northeastern Tanzania, we examined if FGF-21 and GDF-15 levels in maternal blood at week 33 ± 2 (n = 301) and in cord blood at birth (n = 353), were associated with anemia and malaria exposure at different time points in pregnancy and with neonatal anthropometry.RESULTS: Among mothers at gestation week 33 ± 2, lower FGF-21 levels were observed after exposure to malaria in the first trimester, but not anemia, whereas GDF-15 levels at week 33 ± 2 were not associated with malaria nor anemia. In cord blood, moderate to severe anemia at any time point in pregnancy was associated with higher levels of FGF-21, whereas malaria exposure in the third trimester was associated with lower FGF-21 levels in cord blood. Negative associations were observed between cord blood FGF-21 and GDF-15 levels and neonatal skinfold thicknesses and birthweight.CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that moderate to severe anemia throughout pregnancy associates with higher FGF-21 levels, and malaria in last trimester associates with lower FGF-21 levels, in the neonates, thereby potentially affecting the future cardiometabolic health of the child.
AB - CONTEXT: Anemia and malaria are global health problems affecting >50% of pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa and are associated with intrauterine growth restriction. The hormones fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) are involved in metabolic regulation and are expressed in the placenta. No studies exist on FGF-21 and GDF-15 responses to exposures of malaria and anemia in pregnancy.OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: Using a prospective, longitudinal pregnancy and birth cohort of women with an average age of 26 years from a rural region in northeastern Tanzania, we examined if FGF-21 and GDF-15 levels in maternal blood at week 33 ± 2 (n = 301) and in cord blood at birth (n = 353), were associated with anemia and malaria exposure at different time points in pregnancy and with neonatal anthropometry.RESULTS: Among mothers at gestation week 33 ± 2, lower FGF-21 levels were observed after exposure to malaria in the first trimester, but not anemia, whereas GDF-15 levels at week 33 ± 2 were not associated with malaria nor anemia. In cord blood, moderate to severe anemia at any time point in pregnancy was associated with higher levels of FGF-21, whereas malaria exposure in the third trimester was associated with lower FGF-21 levels in cord blood. Negative associations were observed between cord blood FGF-21 and GDF-15 levels and neonatal skinfold thicknesses and birthweight.CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that moderate to severe anemia throughout pregnancy associates with higher FGF-21 levels, and malaria in last trimester associates with lower FGF-21 levels, in the neonates, thereby potentially affecting the future cardiometabolic health of the child.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85186081056&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1210/jendso/bvad120
DO - 10.1210/jendso/bvad120
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 37795192
SN - 2472-1972
VL - 7
JO - Journal of the Endocrine Society
JF - Journal of the Endocrine Society
IS - 10
M1 - bvad120
ER -