Linking AMND, PIS and SMR01.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Using data linkage to ascertain the associations between fetal growth and disorders such as asthma, epilepsy, adhd and type 1 diabetes.
IRAS ID
202351
Contact name
S Turner
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Aberdeen
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 0 months, 3 days
Research summary
Research Summary\n\nIncurable chronic conditions in childhood which persist into adulthood and common and lead to considerable morbidity and ultimately mortality. Chronic conditions such as asthma, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), epilepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be managed with treatment but prevention, as opposed to cure, offers the best promise of reducing prevalence of these diseases. Better understanding of the early origins of these conditions is required before targeted preventative interventions are introduced, and there is evidence that antenatal factors are important determinants of chronic illness in post natal life. Our group has for the first time related antenatal fetal ultrasound measurements to risk for asthma and also to glycosylated haemoglobin (a biomarker for IDDM). In this project we will extend our findings to a larger and older cohort and also explore associations between fetal measurements and epilepsy and ADHD. The overarching hypothesis is that reduced fetal size is an indicator for many different chronic conditions. The student will (i) link fetal and maternal details held on the Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank to routinely acquired prescribing of asthma medication and hospital admission data held by the Scottish Government and (ii) describe associations between fetal size and growth to IDDM, ADHD and epilepsy identified from prescribing and admission data. The results will be novel and generate a substantial advance in the understanding of fetal origins of chronic disease. \n\nSummary of Results\n\nResults: Outcome data were available for 63,930 individuals. Increased length in the\nfirst‐trimester size was associated with a reduced odds ratio (OR) for asthma\nadmission of 0.991 [0.983, 0.998] per mm increase and also a shorter time to first admission, with a hazard ratio risk of 0.987 [0.980, 0.994] per mm increase. \n Independent of all earlier measurements, increased height at 5 years (available in a\nsubset of 15,760) was associated with reduced OR for an asthma admission, with OR of 0.874 [0.790, 0.967] per z score. Longitudinal measurements of weight\nwere not related to asthma outcomes.\n\nConclusions: Longer first‐trimester length is associated with more favorable asthma\noutcomes, and subsequently, increased height in childhood is also independently\nassociated with more favorable asthma outcomes. Interventions that reduce SGA and encourage healthy postnatal growth might improve asthma outcomes.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
16/NS/0067
Date of REC Opinion
1 Jul 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion