Asthma exacerbations may worsen pregnancy outcomes

(HealthDay)—For women with asthma, asthma exacerbation (AE) during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk for pregnancy complications, adverse perinatal outcomes, and early childhood respiratory disorders, according to a study published online Nov. 26 in the European Respiratory Journal.

Kawsari Abdullah, Ph.D., from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and colleagues examined the short- and long-term intergenerational effect of AE in pregnant women with asthma in a population cohort study. Data were included for 103,424 singleton pregnancies in women with asthma.

The researchers found higher odds of preeclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension in association with AE in pregnant women (odds ratios, 1.30 [95 percent confidence interval (CI), 1.12 to 1.51] and 1.17 [95 percent CI, 1.02 to 1.33], respectively). In addition, AE in pregnant women correlated with babies having higher odds of low birth weight, being preterm, and having congenital malformations (odds ratios, 1.14 [95 percent CI, 1.00 to 1.31], 1.14 [95 percent CI, 1.01 to 1.29], and 1.21 [95 percent CI, 1.05 to 1.39], respectively). Increased risks for asthma and pneumonia during the first five years of life were seen for children born to women with AE during pregnancy (odds ratios, 1.23 [95 percent CI, 1.13 to 1.33] and 1.12 [95 percent CI, 1.03 to 1.22], respectively).

Source: Read Full Article