Abstract
Objective The study aimed to investigate the neonatal outcomes of infants born to mothers on
hemodialysis.
Study Design This retrospective, case-control, and observational study included 17 infants born
to 16 mothers on dialysis in 2003 to 2016. We compared their clinical characteristics
to those of 51 gestational age- and sex-matched control infants. Statistical comparisons
were made between the two groups by using the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test for continuous
variables and the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables.
Results Of the 16 pregnancies of mothers on dialysis, 15 (94%) deliveries were premature
(<37 weeks), and 16/17 (94%) infants survived to discharge. The incidences of neonatal
complications, such as intraventricular hemorrhage, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, patent
ductus arteriosus, and periventricular leukomalacia, were not significantly different
between the groups. However, 5/17 (29%) of the infants had congenital anomalies.
Conclusion Although infants born to mothers on dialysis have a high risk of prematurity, they
do not have any additional risk of neonatal complications, except for congenital anomalies.
The potential risk of congenital anomalies should be investigated further.
Key Points
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Preterm birth rate among mothers on hemodialysis was 94%.
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Complications in these infants were similar to controls.
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Twenty-nine percent of infants had congenital anomalies.
Keywords
dialysis - high-risk pregnancy - neonatal diseases - premature infant - congenital
abnormalities
