Smoking During Pregnancy Linked With Infant Heart Defects
A recent study, published in Paediatrics, has show evidence to suggest that women who smoke during pregnancy increase the risk of their unborn child developing a heart condition or defect. These heart defects, specifically relating to the walls which separate the different chambers of the heart, commonly known as a septal defect, were reported to be considerably higher amongst children whose mother smoked before their pregnancy or during the early stages.
The research, headed by Dr Sadia Malik and conducted on behalf of Medical Sciences in Little Rock at the University of Arkansas, evaluated 3,067 babies who were born with some heart problem that was unrelated to a genial condition. Information gathered from these subjects was then compared with that of 3,947 infants without any defects of the heart. It is important to note that Dr Malik and her team of researchers found no link between the development of septal defects and second-hand, or passive smoking.
When asked to comment on their findings, a spokesman for the study said “If even a fraction of congenital heart defects and other birth defects could be prevented by decreasing maternal tobacco use, it would result in improved reproductive outcomes and a saving of millions of health care dollars,”
Congenital Heart disease occurs in 1 out of every 100 births within the US, and with up to 28% of expecting mothers continuing with their smoking habit, it is hoped that this damning research will do much to sway them.