Pregnancy and smoking
Tuesday, 18 Dec 2007 09:15
Smoking during pregnancy can raise children's risk of allergies, study suggests
Smoking during pregnancy not only puts a mother's health at risk but also raises the chance her baby will develop allergies.
According to latest research, babies exposed to secondhand smoke in early infancy are more than twice as likely to develop some allergies.
Swedish scientists found that children had double the risk of being allergic to inhaled allergens, such as pet dander (animal hair and dead skin), compared to those who had not been exposed.
Children who breathed in secondhand smoke were also 50 per cent more likely to be allergic to foodstuffs.
The study is not the first to link smoking during pregnancy and problems in the child's life.
Research carried out in recent years has linked smoking in pregnancy to behaviour problems in young children, while other studies have suggested a link with an increased risk of asthma and wheezing.
One study also warned that quitting smoking may be more difficult for individuals whose mothers smoked during pregnancy.
Health campaigners say the latest piece of research linking smoking to an increased risk of allergies, published in the journal Thorax, adds to the growing body of evidence that it is best to quit smoking during pregnancy for a baby's future health.
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