Untreated Asthma During Pregnancy May Put Infant at Risk for Future Asthma

by Kim Neyer | More from this Blogger

Once again, research indicates that treating health issues during pregnancy, such as diabetes, for example, decreases the health risks for the child. This time the topic is asthma, and it has been found that women who don't properly treat their asthma during pregnancy raise the risk that their child will suffer from the same disease.

Over 32 percent of children born to mothers who neglect to treat their asthma during pregnancy develop the respiratory illness themselves. This new evidence comes from a study conducted at the Université de Montréal, the Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal and Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center. The research team examined a decade of health records for over 8 thousand children between the ages of newborn to ten years who were born to asthmatic mothers.

Effectively treating asthma during pregnancy reduces the chances of the mother passing the illness to her child. Not treating the condition triggers a reaction in the fetus that affects lung development and increases the chances of the baby developing asthma as a child.

This news follows recent studies linking the treatment of pregnant woman suffering from Type 2 or gestational diabetes and the health of their children. In both cases, effective treatment is not only better for the mother, but for the child as well.

The effects of not treating asthma during pregnancy are not limited to an increased risk of developing asthma for the child. Pregnant woman who do not effectively treat their asthma symptoms may suffer from high blood pressure, severe bleeding, eclampsia, and possibly labor complications. The baby may be born prematurely, be born with a low birth weight, and could even be at risk for an early death. The moral of the story is: if you are pregnant and suffer from asthma, be sure to work closely with your doctor in controlling your asthma symptoms while you are pregnant. Your health and your baby's health depend on it!

Learn more about Kim Neyer

Kim is a freelance writer, photographer and stay at home mom to her one-year-old son, Micah. She has been married to her husband, Eric, since 2006.

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