Journal
EARLY HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Volume 85, Issue 9, Pages 557-560Publisher
ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2009.05.009
Keywords
Autonomic nervous system; Cardiovascular; Fetal electrocardiography; Fetal heart rate variability; Power spectra; Programming
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Funding
- Academy of Finland
- Social Insurance Institution of Finland
- Sigrid Juselius Foundation
- Turku University Foundation
- Yrjo Jahnsson Foundation
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Background: Sympathetic over activity has been suggested to impact on the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The origin of abnormalities in the autonomic nervous system is unknown, but it is susceptible to environmental influences during the critical periods of human development. Aims: To examine the influence of maternal characteristics on fetal cardiac autonomic nervous activation. Study design: Prospective, observational study. Subjects: 41 fetuses from normal pregnancy born after 36 gestational weeks. Outcome measures: Maternal characteristics that affect fetal intrauterine well-being intrauterine environmental factors were evaluated, including pre-pregnancy body mass index as well as GHbA1c, blood pressure and 3-day food diaries from each trimester of pregnancy. To assess intrapartum fetal cardiac sympathovagal activation fetal ECG was recorded for 1 h during delivery. Heart rate variability was measured using power spectrum analysis of low-to-high frequency ratio of fetal heart rate variability. Results: Cardiac sympathetic activation measured during delivery was associated with maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (r = 0.33, p = 0.03), placental weight (r = 0.4. p = 0.008) and the immaturity of the fetus (r = -0.3, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Early intrauterine environmental factors Such as maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index are associated with fetal sympathetic activation with a potential for cardiovascular programming. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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