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P Buekens

Publications and source records attributed to P Buekens.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Periodontal disease as one possible explanation for the Mexican paradox.

Mexican-American women have similar low socio-economic status as compared to Non-Hispanic Blacks. However, Mexican-American women have consistently been shown to have a lower rate of low birth weight births as compared to Non-Hispanic Blacks and similar to Non-Hispanic Whites. This phenomenon is referred to as the "Mexican paradox", and the explanation for this is still unclear. We used data from the third US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) to compare the rate of periodontal disease in Non-Hispanic Black, Non-Hispanic White and Mexican-American pregnant and non-pregnant women. We found that Mexican-American women have a lower rate of periodontal disease before and during pregnancy when compared to Non-Hispanic Blacks. Since periodontal disease has been associated with an increased risk of preterm birth and low birth weight, we hypothesize that the lower prevalence of periodontal disease before and during pregnancy among Mexican-American women may contribute to the "Mexican paradox".

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that periodontal disease, as a source of subclinical and persistent infection, may induce systemic inflammatory responses that increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To examine the existing evidence on the relationship between periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes. SEARCH STRATEGY: Published studies identified via searches of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Current Contents full-text databases. SELECTION CRITERIA: We identified and selected observational studies (i.e. case-control, cross-sectional, and cohort) and nonrandomised controlled studies or randomised controlled trials that examined periodontal disease as a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Odds ratios (OR) or risk ratios (RR) were extracted or calculated from the studies' data. We calculated pooled effect size for two clinical controlled trials but not for the observational studies due to the heterogeneity in definitions for periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes across studies. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-five studies (13 case-control, 9 cohort, and 3 controlled trials) were identified. The studies focused on preterm low birthweight, low birthweight, preterm birth, birthweight by gestational age, miscarriage or pregnancy loss, and pre-eclampsia. Of the chosen studies, 18 suggested an association between periodontal disease and increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcome (ORs ranging from 1.10 to 20.0) and 7 found no evidence of an association (ORs ranging from 0.78 to 2.54). Three clinical trial studies suggest that oral prophylaxis and periodontal treatment can lead to a 57% reduction in preterm low birthweight (pooled RR 0.43; 95% CI 0.24-0.78) and a 50% reduction in preterm births (RR 0.5; 95% CI 0.20-1.30). AUTHOR'S CONCLUSIONS: Periodontal disease may be associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcome. However, more methodologically rigorous studies are needed for confirmation.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed2003

Maternal stress and preterm birth.

This study examined a comprehensive array of psychosocial factors, including life events, social support, depression, pregnancy-related anxiety, perceived discrimination, and neighborhood safety in relation to preterm birth (<37 weeks) in a prospective cohort study of 1,962 pregnant women in central North Carolina between 1996 and 2000, in which 12% delivered preterm. There was an increased risk of preterm birth among women with high counts of pregnancy-related anxiety (risk ratio (RR) = 2.1, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.5, 3.0), with life events to which the respondent assigned a negative impact weight (RR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.2, 2.7), and with a perception of racial discrimination (RR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0, 2.0). Different levels of social support or depression were not associated with preterm birth. Preterm birth initiated by labor or ruptured membranes was associated with pregnancy-related anxiety among women assigning a high level of negative impact weights (RR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.7, 5.3). The association between high levels of pregnancy-related anxiety and preterm birth was reduced when restricted to women without medical comorbidities, but the association was not eliminated. The prospective collection of multiple psychosocial measures on a large population of women indicates that a subset of these factors is associated with preterm birth.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Anemia during pregnancy in a Chinese population.

OBJECTIVES: To study prevalence, risk factors, and birth outcomes of women with anemia during pregnancy in a Chinese population. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed based on 16936 pregnancies delivered between January 1989 and December 1990 in Suzhou, China. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin less than 10 g/dl. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratio, 95% confidence interval, and to control for confounding variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of anemia was 10.3% at the first trimester, 18.9% at the third trimester. Overall, 26.2% pregnant women experienced anemia in pregnancy. Anemia during early pregnancy was not associated with increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. However, anemia in later pregnancy was inversely associated with preterm birth and low birth weight. CONCLUSIONS: Anemia during pregnancy does not increase the risk of poor birth outcomes.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[Referral and delivery outcomes in Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo].

BACKGROUND: The process of referral between the first and the second level of the health system in the Democratic Republic of Congo is poorly understood. This report intends to study the association between the referral and the hospital perinatal outcomes. METHODS: Delivery outcomes in a retrospective cohort of 1162 women admitted between June 95 and May 96, in two referral hospitals in Kivu were analyzed according to the referral status and the women's characteristics. RESULTS: Forty-three percent (n=492)of women admitted, corresponding to 2.3% of expected pregnant women, were referred. Referred women had higher risks of obstetrical complications (OR=2.0; CI95%: 1.3-3.1) and intervention (OR=1.5; CI95%: 1.0-2.3) and similar risks of low birth weight and perinatal mortality. Women with complications during the antenatal period had a double risk of intervention and perinatal mortality. The risk of obstetrical intervention was lower when women had attended 2 visits (OR=0.5; CI95%: 0.3-0.8); the risk of low birth weight was lowest only for mothers who had attended one visit (OR=0.5; CI95%: 0.3-0.9). Distance > or =90 minutes walking from home to hospital raised the risk of obstetrical complication (OR=1.7; CI95%: 1.1-2.5), the risk of obstetrical intervention (OR=1.5; CI95%: 1.0-2.1), and the risk of perinatal mortality (OR=1.6; CI95%: 1.0-2.7). Late admission raised the risk of perinatal mortality (OR=1.8; CI95%: 1.2-2.9) and lowered the risk of obstetrical complication (OR=0.7; CI95%: 0.5-1.0). Part payment of care was associated with higher risks of low birth weight (OR=1.9; CI95%: 1.3-2.9), perinatal mortality (OR=2.2; CI95%: 1.4-3.5) and obstetrical intervention (OR=2.4; CI95%: 1.7-3.4). CONCLUSION: These results suggest a deficit of referred cases considering that 15% of pregnant women in the area covered by the referral hospitals should have been referred. They confirm the negative influence of economic and geographic constraints on the delivery outcomes. They point out the relevance of making reorganization of the referral system a priority.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed2001

Barriers to prenatal care in Europe.

BACKGROUND: In Europe, it is sometimes assumed that few barriers to prenatal care exist because extensive programs of health insurance and initiatives to promote participation in prenatal care have been established for many decades. METHODS: A case-control study was performed in ten European countries (Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden). Postpartum interviews were conducted between 1995 and 1996. A total of 1283 women with inadequate prenatal care (i.e., with 0, 1, or 2 prenatal care visits or a first prenatal care visit after 15 completed weeks of pregnancy) and 1280 controls with adequate prenatal care were included in the analysis combining data from the ten countries. RESULTS: Based on combined data of the ten countries, lack of health insurance was found to be an important risk factor for inadequate prenatal care (crude odds ratio [OR] at 95% confidence interval [CI]: 30.1 [20.1-47.1]). Women with inadequate prenatal care were more likely to be aged < 20 years (16.4% vs 4.8%) and with higher parity (number of children previously borne) than controls. They were more likely to be foreign nationals, unmarried, and with an unplanned pregnancy. Women with inadequate care were also more likely to have less education and no regular income. They had more difficulties dealing with health services organization and child care. Cultural and financial barriers were present, but after adjusting for confounders by logistic regression, perceived financial difficulty was not a significant factor for inadequate prenatal care (adjusted OR [95% CI]: 0.7 [0.4-1.3]). CONCLUSIONS: Personal, socioeconomic, organizational, and cultural barriers to prenatal care exist in Europe.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Preterm birth research: from disillusion to the search for new mechanisms.

No intervention has been shown to decrease the rate of preterm birth. There was thus a need for a new research agenda. The new emphasis is on social and biological mechanisms, including the impact on stress of racism and poverty, and gene-environment interactions. New markers are also under study, and pertain mostly to infection and inflammation. The impact on preterm birth of broad contextual factors, such as universal social protection, will need to be explored further. The recent trends toward increased rates of preterm births deserve much attention. New policies and interventions to decrease medically indicated preterm births should be urgently developed and evaluated. The failure to prevent preterm deliveries has been so disappointing that there is a risk that high rates of preterm births will be seen as unavoidable. The research programme launched by March of Dimes is a timely effort to foster new enthusiasm, to test new ideas and to generate new hypotheses.

Female↗
PubMed2001

Preeclampsia and cerebral palsy in low-birth-weight and preterm infants: implications for the current "ischemic model" of preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE: One of the prevailing hypotheses for the pathogenesis of preeclampsia is the "ischemic model." It assumes that reduced uteroplacental perfusion is the primary step and the point of convergence of diverse pathogenic processes in the development of preeclampsia. One might expect a fetus under such "ischemic conditions" to be at an increased risk of later development of cerebral palsy (CP). The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that maternal preeclampsia increases the risk of CP in preterm and low-birth-weight infants. METHODS: A meta-analysis was performed based on published articles identified by searching computerized databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Current Contents, Biological Abstracts, and Dissertation Abstracts) from 1966 through 1999. Ten observational studies on the association between preeclampsia and CP were identified based on prespecified inclusion criteria. Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the methodological quality of eligible articles. Odds ratios (OR) of CP for preeclampsia from individual studies were pooled. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Cerebral palsy. RESULTS: In case-control studies, preeclampsia was associated with a statistically significant decreased risk of CP [pooled adjusted OR, 0.50; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.33-0.81; p < 0.01). In cohort studies, preeclampsia was associated with a nonstatistically significant reduced risk of CP (pooled OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.35-2.41; p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Preeclampsia may be associated with a decreased risk of CP in preterm and low-birth-weight infants. This challenges the currently held belief that reduced uteroplacental perfusion is the unique pathophysiological process in preeclampsia.

Cerebral Palsy↗
PubMed2000

Why do Mexican Americans give birth to few low-birth-weight infants?

There are relatively few low-weight births among Mexican Americans, despite their socioeconomic disadvantages. Fewer low-birth-weight (LBW) births result when babies are heavier at term or when there are fewer preterm deliveries. The authors used 1994 US singleton livebirth birth certificates to compare Mexican Americans with non-Hispanic Whites. They found that the lower LBW rate among Mexican Americans (5.8%) compared with non-Hispanic Whites (6.1%) occurred because fewer small, preterm babies were born to Mexican Americans (3.4% vs. 3.9%). This result was obscured by two findings. First, the mean birth weight of Mexican American babies (3,343 g) was lower than that of non-Hispanic White babies (3,393 g). This finding again showed the independence of mean birth weight and LBW. Second, the overall preterm birth rate was higher among Mexican Americans (10.6%) than non-Hispanic Whites (9.3%). Our hypothesis is that this finding reflects errors in recorded gestational age, as illustrated by a strongly bimodal birth-weight distribution at young gestational ages for Mexican Americans. Further studies on the LBW paradox among Mexican Americans should thus focus on gestational age more than on birth weight.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Trends in twin birth outcomes and prenatal care utilization in the United States, 1981-1997.

CONTEXT: Multiple births account for an increasing percentage of all low-birth-weight infants, preterm births, and infant mortality in the United States. Since 1981, the percentage of women with multiple births who received intensive prenatal care (defined as a high number of visits, exceeding the recommendation of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists by approximately 1 SD beyond the mean number of visits for women initiating care within each trimester) has increased significantly. OBJECTIVES: To explore the hypothesis that more aggressive management of twin-birth pregnancies may be associated with changes in birth outcomes in this population. DESIGN, SETTING, AND SUBJECTS: Cross-sectional and trend analysis of data from the National Center for Health Statistics' birth and infant death records for all twin births occurring in the United States between 1981 and 1997, excluding those with missing or inconsistent data. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Trends in preterm birth, low birth weight, preterm and term small-for-gestational-age (SGA) births, and infant mortality, by level of prenatal care utilization. RESULTS: The preterm birth rate for twins increased from 40.9% in 1981 to 55.0% in 1997. The percentage of low-birth-weight infants increased from 51.0% to 54.0%. The preterm SGA rate also increased from 11.9% to 14.1%, while the term SGA rate decreased from 30.7% to 20.5%. For women with intensive prenatal care utilization, the preterm birth rate increased from 35.1% to 55.8%, compared with an increase from 50.6% to 59.2% among women with only adequate use. Twin preterm deliveries involving either induction or first cesarean delivery also increased from 21.9% to 27.3% between 1989-1991 and 1995-1997. The twin infant mortality rate for women with intensive prenatal care use declined between 1983 and 1996 and remained lower than the overall twin infant mortality rate. CONCLUSIONS: An apparent increase in medical interventions in the management of twins may result in the seeming incongruity of more prenatal care and more preterm births; however, these data suggest that women with intensive prenatal care utilization also have a lower infant mortality rate. JAMA. 2000;283:335-341

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMed2000

Anemia during pregnancy and birth outcome: a meta-analysis.

To determine the relationship between maternal anemia [hemoglobin (Hgb) < 10-11 g/dL] and various birth outcomes, a meta-analysis was conducted based on published literature identified by MEDLINE and manual search from 1966 through 1999. Odds ratios (OR) from selected studies were pooled according to the gestational age at anemia diagnosis. The meta-analysis shows that maternal anemia during early pregnancy was associated with slightly increased preterm birth [pooled adjusted OR (aOR): 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.74], and nonstatistically significant increased low birth weight [pooled aOR: 1.39 (0.70-2.74)], and was not associated with fetal growth restriction [pooled aOR: 1.01 (0.73-1.38)]. However, there was a nonstatistically significant inverse relationship between anemia during late pregnancy and preterm birth [pooled aOR: 0.92 (0.54-1.84)] and low birth weight [pooled aOR: 0.80 (0.64-1.00)]. Anemia was not statistically significantly associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy regardless of stage of pregnancy [pooled OR: 0.80 (0.53-1.20)]. The relationship between anemia and perinatal mortality was inconclusive. A few studies indicated that severe maternal anemia (Hgb < 8-8.5 g/dL) was associated with increased risk of poor outcomes. We conclude that early pregnancy anemia is associated with slightly increased risk of preterm birth. The trend toward an inverse association of anemia determined during late pregnancy with preterm birth and low birth weight may reflect the benefit of plasma volume expansion.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Association of preeclampsia with high birth weight for age.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia on fetal growth. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on the basis of 97,270 pregnancies delivered between 1991 and 1996 in 35 hospitals in northern and central Alberta, Canada. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were performed to examine the impact of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension on high-birth-weight (> or =4200 g), large-for-gestational-age, low-birth-weight (<2500 g), and small-for-gestational-age babies. RESULTS: The rate of high-birth-weight fetuses in women with gestational hypertension (7. 3%) was higher than in those with normal blood pressure (5.6%). After we controlled for confounders, the adjusted odds ratio of high birth weight was 1.44 (95% confidence interval, 1.21-1.70) in women with gestational hypertension. Preeclampsia was also associated with a statistically nonsignificant (P =.054) increased risk of high birth weight (adjusted odds ratio, 1.40; 95% confidence interval 0. 99-1.98). The rate of large-for-gestational-age babies was significantly higher in women with gestational hypertension (4.5%) and preeclampsia (4.7%) than in those with normal blood pressure (2. 2%), with adjusted odds ratios of 1.50 (95% confidence interval, 1. 22-1.85) for gestational hypertension and 1.87 (95% confidence interval, 1.31-2.67) for preeclampsia. Concurrently, women who had gestational hypertension were also at higher risk of having low-birth-weight (adjusted odds ratio, 2.4; 95% confidence interval, 2.13-2.93) and small-for-gestational-age (adjusted odds ratio, 2.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.68-2.48) babies. Women with preeclampsia were also at markedly higher risk of having low-birth-weight (adjusted odds ratio, 4.14; 95% confidence interval, 3.32-5.15) and small-for-gestational-age (adjusted odds ratio, 2.56; 95% confidence interval, 1.92-3.41) babies. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant association of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension with large-for-gestational-age infants, in addition to a significant association with low-birth-weight and small-for-gestational-age infants. This study challenges the currently held belief that reduced uteroplacental perfusion is the unique pathophysiologic process in preeclampsia.

Birth Weight↗