Evidence is also emerging of a negative impact of antenatal CMD symptoms upon infant development [ 3].
Table 4 lists the main gene effects for maternal/infant HFE H63 D and TF P570 S upon infant birthweight.
None have evaluated the impact of maternal antenatal CMD or the effect of chronicity of maternal CMD upon infant development.
Furthermore, the majority of published studies fail to take into account the potential impact of maternal CMD in pregnancy upon infant under-nutrition, mediated through low birth weight.
There was no significant effect of either antenatal or postnatal CMD upon infant nutritional status at either time point, both before and after adjusting for potential confounding variables.
Findings from the few studies to have explored the impact of postnatal CMD upon infant development in LAMIC settings are largely congruent with evidence from high-income countries.
Protective factors may prevent the negative consequences of risk factors upon infant development by influencing mediating factors; for example, mother-infant interaction, maternal cognition or characteristics of the home environment [ 46].
In this population-based prospective study from rural Ethiopia we evaluated the effect of maternal CMD in pregnancy and at two months postnatal upon infant nutritional status assessed at six and twelve months of age.
6 While a number of such studies have focused specifically upon infant mortality, concerning themselves with the death of babies less than a year old but live-born, very few have incorporated stillbirths.
This population-based prospective study from rural Ethiopia did not find evidence of an independent effect of maternal CMD in pregnancy or the postnatal period upon infant development at 12 months of age.
