Search

Background We investigated whether bereavement of a close family member - a source of severe psychological stress exposure - the year before pregnancy is associated with gestational diabetes mellitus ( GDM). Methods We studied pregnant women with livebirths in Denmark during 1994-2008 and with births in Sweden during 1987-2006 ( n = 2 569 446). We obtained data on death of women's parents, siblings, and older children, and on demographic and health- and pregnancy-related factors through linkage between nationwide registers. Results In multivariable models, death of a close relative the year before pregnancy was associated with a 14% increased odds of GDM [95% confidence intervals ( CIs) 1.03, 1.26]. The odds ratios corresponding to the loss of a child, parent, and sibling were 1.51 (95% CI: 1.17, 1.95), 1.12 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.25), and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.40, 1.25), respectively. Deaths due to cardiovascular diseases or diabetes were more closely related to the risk of GDM than other types of deaths. We found no association between unnatural deaths and the risk of GDM. Conclusions Death of a close relative the year before pregnancy was associated with a modestly increased GDM risk. Our findings according to the relative's cause of death suggest that differences in screening for GDM among exposure groups and residual confounding by familial factors related to metabolic and cardiovascular diseases may have contributed to this association. If there is a causal stress effect on GDM in this predominantly Nordic population, it is most likely small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence suggests that maternal stress during pregnancy may influence pregnancy outcomes. In a nationwide Swedish study including almost 3 million births taking place during 1973–2006, we investigated whether maternal bereavement during pregnancy is associated with stillbirth risk. Through individual record linkage between several population-based registers, we obtained information on demographic, health-related, and pregnancy-related factors and deaths of mothers' first-degree relatives. There were 11,071 stillbirths (3.8 per 1,000 births) in the cohort. After adjustment for potential confounders, infants of mothers who had lost any first-degree relative the year before or during pregnancy had an 18% higher risk of stillbirth than unexposed offspring (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06, 1.31). Corresponding hazard ratios were 1.67 (95% CI: 1.18, 2.36) for maternal loss of an older child, 2.06 (95% CI: 1.44, 2.94) for loss of a sibling, and 1.07 (95% CI: 0.95, 1.21) for loss of a parent. The relationship between maternal bereavement and stillbirth did not vary by time of death or by whether the relative's death was expected or unexpected. Death of a close relative is one of the most severe sources of stress, and future studies need to investigate whether less severe but more common stressors also increase stillbirth risk. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Adverse childhood life events are associated with increased risks of hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and stroke later in life. Limited evidence also suggests that stress in adulthood may increase the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). Whether childhood adversity may lead to the development of AF is unknown. We investigated whether the loss of a parent or sibling in childhood is associated with an increased risk of AF and compared this effect to that of similar losses in young adulthood. Methods: We studied 6,394,975 live-born individuals included in the Danish (1973–2018) and Swedish Medical Birth Registers (1973–2014). We linked data from several national registers to obtain information on the death of parents and siblings and on personal and familial sociodemographic and health-related factors. We analyzed the association between bereavement and AF using Poisson regression. Results: Loss of a parent or sibling was associated with an increased AF risk both when the loss occurred in childhood and in adulthood; the adjusted incident rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals were 1.24 (1.14–1.35) and 1.24 (1.16–1.33), respectively. Bereavement in childhood was associated with AF only if losses were due to cardiovascular diseases or other natural causes, while loss in adulthood was associated with AF not only in case of natural deaths, but also unnatural deaths. The associations did not differ substantially according to age at loss and whether the deceased was a parent or a sibling. Conclusions: Bereavement both in childhood and in adulthood was associated with an increased AF risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: We aimed to investigate whether the death of a child, one of the most severe stressors, is associated with the risk of heart failure (HF). Methods and results: We conducted a population‐based cohort study involving parents of live‐born children recorded in the Danish and Swedish Medical Birth Registers during 1973–2016 and 1973–2014, respectively (n = 6 717 349). We retrieved information on child death, HF diagnosis and sociodemographic characteristics of the parents from several nationwide registries. We performed Poisson regression models to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for HF in relation to bereavement. A total of 129 829 (1.9%) parents lost at least one child during the follow‐up. Bereaved parents had a 35% higher risk of HF than the non‐bereaved (IRR 1.35, 95% CI 1.29–1.41; p < 0.001). The increased HF risk was observed not only when the child died due to cardiovascular or other natural causes, but also when the loss was due to unnatural causes. The association tended to be U‐shaped when we categorized the exposed parents by the number of remaining live children at loss or by the age of the deceased child. Conclusion: We found that the death of a child was associated with an increased risk of HF. The finding that not only cardiovascular and other natural deaths, but also unnatural deaths were associated with HF suggests that stress‐related mechanisms may contribute to the development of HF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims We aimed to investigate whether the death of a child, one of the most severe stressors, is associated with the risk of heart failure (HF). Methods and results We conducted a population-based cohort study involving parents of live-born children recorded in the Danish and Swedish Medical Birth Registers during 1973-2016 and 1973-2014, respectively (n = 6717 349). We retrieved information on child death, HF diagnosis and sociodemographic characteristics of the parents from several nationwide registries. We performed Poisson regression models to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for HF in relation to bereavement. A total of 129 829 (1.9%) parents lost at least one child during the follow-up. Bereaved parents had a 35% higher risk of HF than the non-bereaved (IRR 1.35, 95% CI 1.29-1.41; p<0.001). The increased HF risk was observed not only when the child died due to cardiovascular or other natural causes, but also when the loss was due to unnatural causes. The association tended to be U-shaped when we categorized the exposed parents by the number of remaining live children at loss or by the age of the deceased child. Conclusion We found that the death of a child was associated with an increased risk of HF. The finding that not only cardiovascular and other natural deaths, but also unnatural deaths were associated with HF suggests that stress-related mechanisms may contribute to the development of HF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]