Maternal asthma in pregnancy and pubertal timing in daughters and sons: A population-based cohort study
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: We investigated the impact of maternal asthma on children’s pubertal timing as it remains underexplored. The Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) provided information on maternal asthma during pregnancy, supplemented with diagnosis codes from the Danish National Patient Register. The DNBC sub-cohort the Puberty Cohort gave half-yearly information on pubertal timing from 11 years. We estimated adjusted mean age differences in months for reaching Tanner Stages 1–5 for breast, genital and pubic hair development, axillary hair, acne, and voice break, and menarche for daughters, and first ejaculation for sons. Further, a negative control analysis explored confounding, and two mediation analyses explored mediation through birthweight and childhood asthma. In total, 15,819 children and their mothers participated and 6.6 % of the children had mothers with asthma. Results indicated slightly later pubertal development in sons of mothers with asthma (average difference: 1.0 months (95 % confidence intervals −0.4, 2.4)). This association was not mediated by birthweight or childhood asthma. We did not observe any associations among daughters. The negative control analysis suggested some confounding towards the null. Sons of mothers with asthma during pregnancy had slightly later pubertal timing, though the result could also indicate no association. • Association between maternal asthma during pregnancy and pubertal timing in offspring. • Sons of mothers with asthma during pregnancy had slightly later pubertal timing. • No associations were found among daughters of mothers with asthma in pregnancy. • The result was not mediated by birthweight for gestational age or childhood asthma. • Paternal asthma as a negative control suggests some confounding towards the null.
Source: Annals of Epidemiology
Institutions: Aarhus University, Aarhus University Hospital
Language: English
Subfield: Reproductive Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,820
Funders: March of Dimes Foundation, Aarhus Universitet, Sundhed og Sygdom, Det Frie Forskningsråd, Innovationsfonden, European Commission, National Research Foundation, Danmarks Grundforskningsfond, Københavns Universitet, Lundbeckfonden, Novo Nordisk, Nordea-fonden, Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond, Helsefonden, Novo Nordisk Fonden, Egmont Fonden, H. Lundbeck A/S, Medical Research Council, European Research Council, H2020 European Research Council, Supportive Services for Veteran Families
Awards: G1031846133, G1293115906, G1615615194, G1749882372, G1936523031, G2073588333, G2131399289, G2145814837, G2193368973, G2384235469, G2642389388, G3233039117, G3276785593, G3342218268, G3698421549, G3796120083, G3814547547, G4117695673, G425496590, G5369471226, G5633314226, G5699733702, G5702547812, G5849383024, G5929605561, G5979485127, G6416074183, G6420165006, G6947076504, G7088383309, G7228047770, G7558900168, G7617179328, G8116030666, G8335491310, G935395325
OpenAlex ID: W4409498495