By Dr Deepu
Exposure to high levels of certain traffic air pollutants may increase the risk of preterm birth in pregnant women with asthma.
Researchers analyzed data from over 223,000 single-child births and found this was especially true when women were exposed to pollutants just before conceiving, in early pregnancy and the last six weeks of pregnancy.
Exposure to high levels of certain traffic air pollutants may increase the risk of preterm birth in pregnant women with asthma.
Researchers analyzed data from over 223,000 single-child births and found this was especially true when women were exposed to pollutants just before conceiving, in early pregnancy and the last six weeks of pregnancy.
The analysis revealed that preterm births occurred in 11.7% of singleton
deliveries across the entire study population and 33.6% of these deliveries
were early preterm births. The significant
asthma interactions were sporadic
before 30 weeks gestation, but more common during weeks 34 to 36, with risk
highest among women with asthma exposed to NOx, CO and SO2.
The findings
were published online March 1 in the Journal of Allergy and ClinicalImmunology.