>Asthma flare-ups early in pregnancy may raise the risk of birth defects, a new study has suggested.
Researchers said it highlights the importance of good asthma control in pregnant women.
In a study of 3,477 asthmatic women who gave birth at least once between 1990 and 2000, Canadian researchers found that those who had symptom flare-ups in the first trimester were 48 per cent more likely to have a baby with a congenital malformation, reported Reuters Health.
Overall, 13 per cent of babies born to women with asthma attacks had at least one malformation, such as a birth defect of the heart, facial structures, spine or digestive system.
That compared with 9 per cent of infants whose mothers had well-controlled asthma in early pregnancy. The findings were published in the Journal Of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.
Poorly controlled asthma during pregnancy may be dangerous for the foetus because it can hinder the flow of blood and oxygen to the placenta.
Because the first trimester is a critical period in which most birth defects take shape, asthma attacks early in pregnancy is of particular.
This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on July 23, 2008.
