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Congenital heart defect risk higher with paternal, maternal smoking
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Paternal smoking, in addition to maternal secondhand smoke, increases the risk for congenital heart defects in offspring, according to findings published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
Researchers sought to assess the risk for congenital heart defects associated with maternal active and passive smoking and paternal smoking.
“Smoking is a teratogenic, meaning it can cause developmental malformations,” Jiabi Qin, MD, PhD, from the department of epidemiology and health statistics at Xiangya School of Public Health at Central South University, said in a press release. “The association between prospective parents smoking and the risk of congenital heart defects has attracted more and more attention with the increasing number of smokers of childbearing age.”
The researchers analyzed seven electronic databases up to June 2018.
They identified 125 studies with 137,574 cases of congenital heart defects in 8,770,837 participants.
Paternal active smoking (RR = 1.74; 95 CI, 1.48-2.06) and maternal passive smoking (RR = 2.24; 95% CI, 1.81-2.77) were significantly associated with risk for congenital heart defects in offspring, according to the study. Maternal active smoking also had a significant association (RR = 1.25; 95% CI, 1.16-1.34) with congenital heart defect risk.
Maternal active smoking was significantly associated with risk for atrial septal defect (RR = 1.27; 95% CI, 1.02-1.59) and right ventricular outflow tract obstruction (RR = 1.43; 95% CI, 1.04-1.97), the researchers reported, adding that a sensitivity analysis yielded consistent results.
The prevention of parental smoking during peripregnancy is a priority to reduce the risk for congenital heart defects, they wrote.
“Doctors and primary health care professionals need to do more to publicize and educate prospective parents about the potential hazards of smoking for their unborn child,” Qin said in the release. – by Earl Holland Jr.
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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