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Maternal smoking in pregnancy and its influence on childhood asthma

Angela Zacharasiewicz1

  • 1Dept of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Teaching Hospital Wilhelminenspital of the Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

ERJ Open Research
|October 13, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSP) significantly increases a child's risk of developing asthma. These effects, including epigenetic changes, can impact health across generations.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Reproductive Health

Background:

  • Maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSP) is a major risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes and childhood asthma.
  • Understanding the long-term respiratory health consequences of MSP is crucial for public health initiatives.

Approach:

  • This review synthesizes current research on the multifaceted effects of MSP on respiratory health from infancy through adolescence.
  • It examines direct fetal damage, immune system alterations, and epigenetic modifications induced by maternal smoking.

Key Points:

  • Nicotine directly harms fetal lung development, growth, and neuronal differentiation, while also impairing placental function.
  • MSP exposure increases infection rates and modulates airway hyperreactivity, reducing lung function and elevating asthma morbidity.
  • Epigenetic effects of cigarette smoke exposure can lead to transgenerational detrimental health impacts.

Conclusions:

  • A causal link between MSP and asthma development is well-established, posing a significant, intergenerational health challenge.
  • The high prevalence of MSP and its epigenetic consequences amplify the danger, contributing substantially to the global rise in asthma.

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