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Impaired postnatal growth of infants prenatally exposed to cigarette smoking
Aysen Kutan Fenercioglu1, Ismet Tamer, Guner Karatekin
1Department of Family Medicine, Yeditepe University Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey. aysenfenercioglu@yeditepe.edu.tr
Insights
Maternal smoking during pregnancy significantly impacts infant growth, causing deficits in weight, height, and head circumference at birth and up to six months. Passive smoking shows minimal effects, with infants of smokers experiencing lasting growth impairments.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Maternal Health
- Infant Development
Background:
- Previous research indicates a link between maternal smoking and reduced infant birth size.
- Limited data exists on the postnatal head circumference of infants born to mothers who smoke.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of maternal smoking and passive smoking during pregnancy on infant anthropometric measures post-birth.
- To compare infant weight, height, and head circumference at birth, 3 months, and 6 months among smoking, passive smoking, and non-smoking groups.
Main Methods:
- Infants were categorized into three groups: smokers (n=48), passive smokers (n=57), and non-smokers (n=54).
- Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, head circumference) were recorded at birth, 3 months, and 6 months.
- Statistical analysis was performed to compare growth parameters between groups.
Main Results:
- Infants of smokers exhibited significant deficits in weight and head circumference at birth compared to non-smokers.
- At 6 months, infants of smokers showed persistent significant deficits in weight, height, and head circumference.
- Infants of passive smokers demonstrated marginal decreases and complete catch-up growth by 6 months.
Conclusions:
- Maternal smoking during pregnancy leads to significant and lasting growth deficits in infants, extending beyond birth.
- While passive smoking has minimal impact, active smoking poses serious risks to infant development.
- Anticipatory guidance for women regarding the risks of smoking on infant growth is crucial before conception.
Abstract:
Most of the previous studies have shown a significant inverse relationship between smoking during pregnancy and weight, height and head circumference of infants at birth, but there is limited literature that assesses the head circumference measures of infants of smoker mothers in postnatal follow-up. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of maternal smoking and passive smoking during pregnancy on postnatal anthropometric measures of infants. Infants were divided into 3 groups: infants of smokers (n = 48), passive smokers (n = 57) and nonsmokers (n = 54), and were evaluated for their weight, height and head circumference at birth, 3 months and 6 months of age. Infants of smokers showed significant weight and head circumference deficits at birth compared to nonsmokers' infants (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). At 6 months of age, infants of smokers continued to show significant deficits in all 3 measures compared to nonsmokers' infants (p < 0.001 for each), and infants of passive smokers showed only marginal decreases. Moreover, the weight and height growth velocities of the smokers' infants remained deficient, whereas their growth velocity of the head circumferences increased from birth up to 6 months and reached the growth velocity of the nonsmokers' infants. Infants of passive smokers showed a complete catch-up growth at 6 months. This study indicates that smoking during pregnancy results in serious deficits in infants' growth even after birth. Therefore, it is essential to inform smoker women before pregnancy the possible growth retardation of infants.
