Smoking and respiratory risks

Mothers who smoke during pregnancy could be creating respiratory problems for their children during their early life; new research from Sweden has shown.

According to Fox News, a study carried out in Sweden has suggested that when a mother smokes during pregnancy this is leads to an association with asthma with the mother’s children, by the time they reach school age. The study concluded that children whose mothers smoked while pregnant are 65 percent more likely to develop asthma. As summarized by the website YourWellness, the research suggests that the link with asthma exists even where the mother gives up smoking later during the pregnancy. Thus the research suggests that the risks exist when a mother smokes tobacco during the first trimester of pregnancy (during the start of the gestation process in the womb). At this early stage the mother may be unaware that she is carrying a child. The research also showed, according to US News, that the more a mother smoked, the higher the likelihood her child would develop asthma. The research was based on data collated from more than 21,000 children and the study was led by Dr Asa Neuman of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. Commenting on the study, and as quoted by MedGuru, Dr Neuman said: “These results indicate that the harmful effects of maternal smoking on the fetal respiratory system begin early in pregnancy, perhaps before the women is even aware that she is pregnant. Our large pooled analysis confirms that maternal smoking during pregnancy, particularly during the first trimester, is associated with a greater risk of offspring developing wheeze and asthma when they reach preschool age. Teens and young women should be encouraged to quit smoking before getting pregnant.” The findings were published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.