Obesity and risk of placenta accreta spectrum: A meta-analysis.

Abstract

Background: Some studies have indicated a notable association between obesity and placenta accreta spectrum (PAS), while others have not reported. Hence, we performed a meta-analysis to explore the association between obesity and the risk of PAS.

Methods: To explore the association between obesity and PAS through observational studies, we conducted a systematic search across PubMed, Web of Science, Google scholar, and Scopus databases up to March 30, 2024. The meta-analysis utilized a random-effect model, with the quality of included studies assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. A significance level of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant using Stata software, version 14 (StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA).

Results: The association between obesity and PAS risk in crude studies showed significance (1.51 [95% CI: 1.19, 1.82; I ² = 0.0%]). However, in adjusted studies, the association was not significant (1.25 [95% CI: 0.45, 2.05; I ² = 52.0%]).

Conclusion: These findings suggest that obesity has been proposed as potentially associated with a higher risk of PAS, particularly evident in crude studies. However, it is imperative to conduct prospective cohort studies with a large sample size and meticulous control of confounding variables to further elucidate this relationship.