Range of health risks from asthma in pregnancy

Women who experience uncontrolled asthma attacks during pregnancy face further health risks, researchers warned today.

The links between “asthma exacerbation” in pregnancy and health risks for the mother and the baby were explored by Dr Kawsari Abdullah at the Research Institute in Ottawa, Canada, and colleagues, as the team felt that these risks had not been appropriately investigated.

They used figures from a large asthma surveillance system in Ontario covering 103,424 singleton pregnancies, and another large set of population-level health information. Exacerbation of asthma was defined as at least five visits to the doctor, one emergency visit, or one hospital admission for asthma.

Analysis showed that an exacerbation of asthma was linked with raised risks of preeclampsia (30%), pregnancy induced hypertension (17%), low birth weight (14%), premature birth (14%), and congenital malformations (21%)

They report in the European Respiratory Journal today (27 November) that children born to women with asthma exacerbation in pregnancy had a 23% higher risk of asthma and a 12% higher risk of pneumonia in their first five years of life.

“Asthma exacerbation during pregnancy in women with asthma showed increased risk of pregnancy complications, adverse perinatal outcomes and early childhood respiratory disorders in their children, indicating appropriate asthma management may reduce the risk of adverse health outcomes,” they state.

Dr Abdullah said: “Asthma affects 8% to 13% of pregnant women worldwide. Previous research has shown that one out of every three pregnant women with asthma will suffer severe symptoms, so we need to understand what this means for women and their babies.”

Co-author Dr Teresa To added: “Nearly 40% of pregnant women decrease or stop taking asthma medication because they are worried that it could be harmful to their unborn babies. However, our study indicates that severe asthma symptoms present the greater risk to mother and baby.”

Abdullah, K. et al. Effect of asthma exacerbation during pregnancy in women with asthma: A population-based cohort study. European Respiratory Journal 27 November 2019; doi: 10.1183/13993003.01335-2019

https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.01335-2019

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