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Maternal smoking linked to serious morbidity, mortality in infants
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Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk to the infant for serious morbidity and mortality, according to findings published online.
Abigail C. Halperin, MD, MPH, and colleagues of the University of Washington in Seattle looked at data from their state for infants born between 1987 and 2004. The retrospective case-control analyses included information on morbidity and mortality and compared 47,404 hospitalized infants and 48,233 controls and, in a second analysis, 627 infants and 2,730 controls who died.
The researchers said maternal smoking was associated with hospitalization due to a broad range of infectious diseases, including respiratory and nonrespiratory infections, as well as infant death. However, they observed that when considering those infants who were born with low birth weight, there was no association of maternal smoking with infant mortality, which suggested that the influence of maternal smoking on infant death may be restricted to the mechanism of preterm delivery.
The researchers said these are not the first data to suggest a negative effect on infant immune systems from maternal smoking. “Studies analyzing cord-blood of infants and exposure of primates have shown that infant immune systems can be modified by exposure to tobacco smoke; however, further research is needed to understand the biological mechanisms for this.”
Study limitations included self-reported maternal smoking that may have been under-ascertained; smoking after delivery was not assessed; and some infants may have been lost to follow-up if they moved out of Washington in their first year. The findings merit further research and increased efforts to educate women who plan to become pregnant, according to the researchers.
“Despite substantial recent gains in reducing the proportion of women who smoke cigarettes during pregnancy, maternal smoking continues to pose a significant risk to infant health and well-being,” study researcher Stephen E. Hawes, PhD, MS, BA, epidemiologist at the University of Washington, Seattle, told Infectious Diseases in Children.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant disclosures.
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