Pregnancy Complications and Wheezing and Asthma in Childhood.

Pregnancy Complications and Wheezing and Asthma in Childhood. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2017 Oct 24;: Authors: Rusconi F, Gagliardi L Abstract This review focuses on recent advances in the field of several frequent maternal complications in pregnancy and asthma and wheezing in childhood, for which large birth cohort studies have recently provided clues. Within the framework of epidemiologic studies, we discuss potential mechanisms, mediators and confounders involved in associations, in an attempt to discern causal pathways. Preeclampsia, a pregnancy-specific multiorgan disease that affects 2-4% of women in developed countries, is characterized by placental dysfunction and is associated with preterm delivery, fetal growth restriction and vascular and lung effects in the fetus. Recent cohort studies have found an association with asthma and wheezing in offspring, probably partly mediated by being preterm or small for gestational age. Obesity, diabetes, maternal depression, anxiety and psychological stress are increasingly complicating the course of pregnancy. With the exception of diabetes, for the other conditions, several studies have found associations especially with wheezing in early childhood. Biologically plausible mechanisms acting on the developing lung and on the modulation of immune function have been suggested. The importance of prenatal and postnatal confounders and mediators still needs to be fully ascertained. Cesarean ...
Source: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Am J Respir Crit Care Med Source Type: research