Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Yüzen, Dennis
• Graf, Isabel
• Tallarek, Ann-Christin
• Hollwitz, Bettina
• Wiessner, Christian
• Schleussner, Ekkehard
• Stammer, Detlef
• Hecher, Kurt
• Diemert, Anke
• Arck, Petra C.

Titel

Heat stress increases late preterm birth risk in Hamburg

Ist Teil von

• Journal of reproductive immunology, 2023-09, Vol.159, p.104105, Article 104105

Ort / Verlag

Elsevier B.V

Erscheinungsjahr

2023

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Elsevier ScienceDirect Journals Complete

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to environmental stressors, e.g., infection, air pollution or high temperatures, which pose a significant risk for maternal and fetal health. Heat stress as consequence of high temperatures has been linked to pregnancy adversities such as preterm birth. However, data on geographical regions with temperate climate that equally suffer from temperature increases during the ongoing climate change are sparse. Further, the pathophysiological link between heat stress and preterm birth remains unclear. Retrospectively obtained birth data (n=42,905) from a tertiary care center in Hamburg were matched with regional climate data provided by the German National Meteorological Service to calculate the relative risk for preterm birth after heat exposure. Further, ultrasound data during heat periods provided by a longitudinal prospective pregnancy cohort study "PRINCE" (n=612) were analyzed in order to unearth the pathomechanism behind heat stress. Both extreme heat and prolonged exposure to heat increased the relative risk for preterm birth. Late preterm births (gestational age 34-37) as well as mothers pregnant with a female fetus were especially affected by heat stress. We identified that heat exposure leads to decreased vascular resistance in the uterine artery. Heat stress increases the risk for preterm birth in geographical region with temperate climate, herby especially affecting women with late preterm births or women pregnant with a female fetus. We provide evidence for altered vascular resistance and give an outlook on immunological alterations caused by maternal heat exposure that might contribute to premature onset of labor.