Risk of congenital heart disease due to exposure to common electrical appliances during early pregnancy: a case-control study

Environmental science and pollution research international · 2020 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 2187

Study snapshot

PublicationEnvironmental science and pollution research international · 2020

Study typecase_control

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Risk of congenital heart disease due to exposure to common electrical appliances during early pregnancy: a case-control study Doudou Zhao, Leqian Guo, Ruo Zhang, Qixia Zhu, Hongli Wang, Rong Liu, Hong Yan, Shaonong Dang. Risk of congenital heart disease due to exposure to common electrical appliances during early pregnancy: a case- control study. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 Sep 19. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-10852-7. Abstract To examine the association between exposure to common electrical appliances in early pregnancy and congenital heart disease (CHD). A case-control study of 2339 participants was conducted in six hospitals in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, Northwest China from 2014 to 2016. All infants with CHD were diagnosed according to ICD-10 classification. Selected controls consisted of newborns from the same hospital, without any birth defects, and 1:3 matched by birthdate. We conducted personal interviews with the mothers to gather information on any exposure to electrical appliances during pregnancy. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the effects of exposure to common electrical appliances on CHD. We observed that the mothers exposed to computers (OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.71), induction cookers (OR: 2.79, 95% CI: 2.19, 3.55), and microwave ovens (OR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.31) during early pregnancy were more likely to give birth to infants with CHD. Mothers who wore radiation protection suits (OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.52, 0.87) during early pregnancy decreased the risk of CHD in their neonate. There was an interaction for induction cooker exposure with wore radiation protection suits on CHD (RERI: - 1.44, 95% CI: - 2.48, - 0.39; S: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.16, 0.84; AP: - 0.79, 95% CI: - 1.53, - 0.05). Our study confirmed that exposure to some electrical appliances was associated with a higher risk of CHD, and wearing a radiation protection suit was associated with a lower risk of CHD. Women should therefore reduce the usage of electrical appliances before and during pregnancy. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typecase_control

Effect directionmixed

PopulationMothers/newborns in six hospitals in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, Northwest China (2014–2016); cases were infants with congenital heart disease (ICD-10), controls were newborns without birth defects matched 1:3 by birthdate

Sample size2339

Exposureearly pregnancy

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In multivariate logistic regression, maternal exposure during early pregnancy to computers (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.03–1.71), induction cookers (OR 2.79, 95% CI 2.19–3.55), and microwave ovens (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.01–2.31) was associated with higher odds of CHD in infants. Wearing a radiation protection suit during early pregnancy was associated with lower odds of CHD (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.52–0.87), and an interaction was reported between induction cooker exposure and wearing a radiation protection suit (RERI −1.44; S 0.37; AP −0.79, with CIs as reported).

Outcomes measured

Congenital heart disease (CHD) in infants (ICD-10 classification)

Limitations

Exposure information was collected via personal interviews with mothers (self-reported exposure).
Specific EMF characteristics (frequency, intensity, SAR) were not reported in the abstract.
Case-control design; residual confounding cannot be assessed from the abstract.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "case_control",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "common electrical appliances (computers, induction cookers, microwave ovens)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "early pregnancy"
  },
  "population": "Mothers/newborns in six hospitals in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, Northwest China (2014–2016); cases were infants with congenital heart disease (ICD-10), controls were newborns without birth defects matched 1:3 by birthdate",
  "sample_size": 2339,
  "outcomes": [
    "Congenital heart disease (CHD) in infants (ICD-10 classification)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In multivariate logistic regression, maternal exposure during early pregnancy to computers (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.03–1.71), induction cookers (OR 2.79, 95% CI 2.19–3.55), and microwave ovens (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.01–2.31) was associated with higher odds of CHD in infants. Wearing a radiation protection suit during early pregnancy was associated with lower odds of CHD (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.52–0.87), and an interaction was reported between induction cooker exposure and wearing a radiation protection suit (RERI −1.44; S 0.37; AP −0.79, with CIs as reported).",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure information was collected via personal interviews with mothers (self-reported exposure).",
    "Specific EMF characteristics (frequency, intensity, SAR) were not reported in the abstract.",
    "Case-control design; residual confounding cannot be assessed from the abstract."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "congenital heart disease",
    "CHD",
    "early pregnancy",
    "case-control",
    "electrical appliances",
    "computer",
    "induction cooker",
    "microwave oven",
    "radiation protection suit",
    "logistic regression",
    "China"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "pregnancy-and-reproduction",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Study examines early-pregnancy exposure and congenital heart disease outcomes."
    },
    {
      "slug": "household-appliances",
      "weight": 0.8,
      "reason": "Exposure sources are common household electrical appliances (computer, induction cooker, microwave oven)."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-10852-7
PubMed: 32949363

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