Association Between Maternal Factors and Risk of Congenital Heart Disease in Offspring: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to summarize the evidence describing the relationship between maternal factors during gestation and risk of congenital heart disease (CHD) in offspring. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched for potentially relevant reports from inception to May 2021. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) calculated by the random-effects model were used to evaluate the association between maternal factors and CHD risk. RESULTS: There was a significant association between CHD risk and obesity in pregnancy (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.22–1.37; P < 0.001), smoking in pregnancy (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.07–1.25; P < 0.001), maternal diabetes (OR 2.65, 95% CI 2.20–3.19; P < 0.001), and exposure of pregnant women to organic solvents (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.23–2.70; P = 0.003). No correlations were revealed between CHD susceptibility and advanced maternal age (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.96–1.12; P = 0.328), underweight (OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.96–1.08; P = 0.519), alcohol intake in pregnancy (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.95–1.22; P = 0.251), coffee intake (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.97–1.44; P = 0.105), and exposure to irradiation (OR 1.80, 95% CI 0.85–3.80; P = 0.125). DISCUSSION: Maternal factors including maternal obesity, smoking in pregnancy, maternal diabetes and exposure to organic solvents might predispose the offspring to CHD risk. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10995-022-03538-8.