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Secondhand smoke exposure in utero may lead to poor asthma control
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Black and Latino children exposed to secondhand smoke in utero are more likely to experience asthma control issues, according to recent results.
Researchers recruited 2,481 participants from two ongoing studies: 1,858 from the Study of African Americans, Asthma, Genes & Environments (SAGE II) and 623 from the Gene-Environments and Admixture in Latino Asthmatics (GALA II). All patients were aged 8 to 17 years, had no smoking history and were located throughout the mainland United States and Puerto Rico. Participants answered questions regarding demographics, environmental and medical histories, with a focus on asthma control issues and their in utero and current exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS).
Children who reported poor asthma control were more likely to have experienced SHS in utero (OR=1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.1), with a stronger association found in Latino children (OR=1.7; 95% CI, 1.1-2.7) than in black children (OR=1.2; 95% CI, 0.7-1.8). Poor asthma control also was more likely among patients exposed to SHS during the first trimester alone (OR=2.2; 95% CI, 1.3-3.7) as opposed to during all three trimesters (OR=1.2; 95% CI, 0.7-1.8), but this difference was not considered statistically significant (P heterogeneity=.09).
Patients exposed to SHS in utero were significantly more likely to experience poor control than children not exposed to SHS (OR=1.8; 95% CI, 1.2-2.8). Those exposed to SHS both in utero and currently also were somewhat more likely to experience control issues than children not exposed to SHS (OR=1.3; 95% CI, 0.8-2.0). A number of secondary asthma outcomes also were associated with in utero SHS exposure, including daytime symptoms (OR=1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.1), early-onset asthma (OR=1.7; 95% CI, 1.1-2.4) and limitation of activities because of asthma (OR=1.6; 95% CI, 1.2-2.2).
“We demonstrate that tobacco smoke exposure while in utero … is associated with poor asthma control [in black and Latino children],” the researchers wrote, “suggesting that prenatal exposures have lingering effects at least 8 years after exposure. … Preventing cigarette smoke exposure during pregnancy will have important implications for improving asthma control and reducing health disparities.”
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