Evaluation of the body mass index (BMI) in children born to organ transplant recipients

Abstract

Background: Overweight and obesity are one of the most serious clinical health problems. Until now, the long-term development of children born to mothers after transplantation is unknown. In this study, we attempted to present the analysis of the prevalence of overweight in the population of mothers after kidney or liver transplants.

Methods: A comparison of body mass index (BMI) measurements performed in 61 children of kidney transplant women (study group) and 64 children born to healthy mothers (control group). The children from both groups were born at a similar gestational age and in the similar time period from 12/1996 to 11/2010. BMI was measured once on one of the follow-up visits in the time period from 07/2010 to 11/2013. BMI was assessed in infants older than one month as well as in toddlers or children in the preschool or school age. The results obtained in the study group of children born to transplanted mothers were compared with control group results and with the theoretical population data.

Results: There were no differences in the incidence of underweight and overweight, when BMI values of children born to transplanted mothers were compared to those of children of healthy mothers. There was a trend towards a greater incidence of obesity in children of studied group compared to controls (16 versus 6%, p = .072). Among analysed factors, it was noted that prenatal exposure to tacrolimus was associated with a 2.8-fold increased risk of developing a higher BMI in later follow-up.

Conclusions: Obesity among children of mothers after kidney or liver transplants seems to be more frequently observed. This observation may be an important factor in the further paediatric care, especially in children born to transplanted mothers treated chronically with tacrolimus.

Keywords:

• Kidney transplantation
• liver transplantation
• body mass index
• children of transplanted mothers

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education.