Maternal Pruritus Gravidarum: A Risk Factor for Long-term Dermatology-related Hospitalization in Offspring

Researchers have found in a new study that maternal pruritus gravidarum is an independent risk factor for long-term dermatology-related hospitalization in the offspring up to 18 years of age. The study has been published in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine.

Pregnancy is associated with varied changes in the mother affecting all body systems, including the skin. Dermatological manifestations that occur during pregnancy arise from hormonal, immunological, and metabolic changes.

General pruritus and the absence of primary skin lesions are characteristics of pruritus gravidarum. In a recent study, researchers have evaluated whether the offspring (≤ 18 years) of mothers with a history of pruritus gravidarum have a heightened risk of long-term dermatology-related hospitalization.

In this study, the aim of researchers was to evaluate whether pruritus gravidarum confers a long-term effect on the offspring (up to the age of 18 years). Since pruritus gravidarum is a cutaneous dermatological manifestation, we chose to focus on the long-term effect of dermatological morbidity in the offspring.

The team of researchers conducted a population-based, retrospective cohort study of all singleton deliveries between 1991 and 2021. The location was the tertiary medical centre. The comparison was made between the offspring of mothers diagnosed with and without pruritus gravidarum. ICD-9 codes were used.

Study Results

• 849 women out of 356,356 deliveries met the inclusion criteria and were diagnosed with pruritus gravidarum during pregnancy, constituting 0.23%.
• Compared to offspring of mothers with pruritus gravidarum versus non-pruritus gravidarum mothers, hospitalization rates involving dermatological morbidity were higher, with values of 7.1% vs. 4.6%.
• Pruritus gravidarum was an independent risk factor for dermatological-related hospitalizations in the offspring after controlling for gestational age, hypertensive disorders, diabetic disorders, meconium-stained amniotic fluid exposure, and fertility treatments.
• The adjusted HR was 1.44.

They said, “We recorded maternal pruritus gravidarum as an independent risk factor for long-term dermatology-related hospitalization in the offspring up to 18 years of age.”

Further Reading

Yoad Govrin-Yehudain, Tamar Wainstock, Eyal Sheiner, Amir Horev & Yuval Krieger (2023) Maternal pruritus gravidarum and its long-term effect on dermatological morbidity in the offspring, The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine.

https://doi.org/10.1080/14767058.2023.2241103