Elevated Outdoor Temperatures and Risk of Stillbirth

Overview

Journal Int J Epidemiol

Specialty Public Health

Date 2016 May 11

PMID 27160765

Citations 26

Authors

Nathalie Auger

William D Fraser

Audrey Smargiassi

Marianne Bilodeau-Bertrand

Tom Kosatsky

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The causes of stillbirth are poorly understood, including whether elevated outdoor temperatures increase risk. We assessed the relationship between elevated ambient temperatures and risk of stillbirth by gestational age and cause of death during warm months in a temperate region.

Methods: We performed a case-crossover study of 5047 stillbirths in continental Quebec, Canada, between the months of April through September from 1981 to 2011. Using data on maximum daily temperatures adjusted for relative humidity, we estimated associations with stillbirth, comparing temperatures before fetal death with temperatures on adjacent days. The main outcomes were stillbirth according to age of gestation (term, preterm), and cause of death (undetermined, maternal, placenta/cord/membranes, birth asphyxia, congenital anomaly, other).

Results: Elevated outdoor temperatures the week before the death were more strongly associated with risk of term than preterm stillbirth. Odds of term stillbirth for temperature 28 °C the day before death were 1.16 times greater relative to 20 °C (95% confidence interval, CI 1.02-1.33). Elevated outdoor temperature was associated with stillbirth due to undetermined and maternal causes, but not other causes. Compared with 20 °C, the odds of stillbirth at 28 °C were 1.19 times greater for undetermined causes (95% CI 1.02-1.40) and 1.46 times greater for maternal complications (95% CI 1.03-2.07).

Conclusions: Elevated outdoor temperatures may be a risk factor for term stillbirth, including stillbirth due to undetermined causes or maternal complications.

Citing Articles

Extreme Temperatures, Hospital Utilization and Public Health Insurance Spending.

Kim Y, Miao Q, Zhu L Int J Public Health. 2025; 70:1607160.

PMID: 40012811 PMC: 11859587. DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2025.1607160.

A time-stratified, case-crossover study of heat exposure and perinatal mortality from 16 hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa.

Hanson C, Bont J, Annerstedt K, Alsina M, Nobile F, Roos N Nat Med. 2024; 30(11):3106-3113.

PMID: 39227446 PMC: 11564089. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-03245-7.

The association of short-term increases in ambient PM2.5 and temperature exposures with stillbirth: racial/ethnic disparities among Medicaid recipients.

Shupler M, Huybrechts K, Leung M, Wei Y, Schwartz J, Hernandez-Diaz S Am J Epidemiol. 2024; 193(10):1372-1383.

PMID: 38770979 PMC: 11458190. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwae083.

The risk of miscarriage is associated with ambient temperature: evidence from coastal Bangladesh.

Das S, Sagar S, Chowdhury S, Akter K, Haq M, Hanifi S Front Public Health. 2023; 11:1238275.

PMID: 38026421 PMC: 10656765. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1238275.

Adverse effects of temperature on perinatal and pregnancy outcomes: methodological challenges and knowledge gaps.

Mehta M, Basu R, Ghosh R Front Public Health. 2023; 11:1185836.

PMID: 38026314 PMC: 10646498. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1185836.

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