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Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure increases hospitalizations for bronchiolitis in infants

Marcello Lanari1, Silvia Vandini2, Fulvio Adorni3

  • 1Pediatrics and Neonatology Unit, Imola Hospital, Via Montericco, 4, Imola, Italy. m.lanari@ausl.imola.bo.it.

Respiratory Research
|December 24, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Exposure to tobacco smoke during pregnancy, both passive and active, significantly increases infants' risk of hospitalization for bronchiolitis in their first year of life. This highlights the critical need for smoke-free environments for maternal and child respiratory health.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
  • Public Health
  • Environmental Health

Background:

  • Tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) poses significant risks to maternal and child health, particularly respiratory morbidity in infants.
  • Limited birth cohort studies have investigated the impact of prenatal TSE on severe bronchiolitis development.
  • Prenatal exposure encompasses both passive and active maternal smoking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of prenatal and postnatal tobacco smoke exposure on bronchiolitis hospitalization and mortality in the first year of life.
  • To assess the association between different levels of maternal smoking and infant respiratory outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal, multi-center cohort study conducted in Italy from November 2009 to December 2012.
  • Recruitment of newborns born at or after 33 weeks of gestational age (wGA).
  • Follow-up of 2,210 newborns during their first year of life to track bronchiolitis hospitalizations.

Main Results:

  • 5.4% (120 infants) were hospitalized for bronchiolitis during the first year of life.
  • No infant deaths were recorded in the study cohort.
  • Prenatal passive TSE and maternal active smoking (>15 cigarettes/day) were significantly associated with increased risk of bronchiolitis hospitalization (adjHR 3.5 and 1.7, respectively).

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal exposure to passive and heavy active tobacco smoke detrimentally affects infant respiratory health.
  • The study confirms a significant increase in the risk of bronchiolitis hospitalization in the first year of life due to prenatal TSE.
  • Findings underscore the importance of smoke-free environments during pregnancy to protect infant respiratory well-being.
Abstract

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