ASTHMA IN BABIES IF DAD SMOKED BEFORE CONCEPTION
A baby has a greater
risk of asthma if his or her father smoked prior to conception.
The research,
presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in
Munich, is the first study in humans to analyze the link between a father's
smoking habits before conception and a child's asthma. The findings add to
growing evidence from animal studies which suggest that the father's exposures
before parenthood can harm his child.
The study analyzed the
smoking habits of over 13,000 men and women via a questionnaire. The
researchers analyzed the link in both mothers and fathers and looked at the
number of years a person had smoked prior to conception, the incidence of
asthma in children and whether the parent had quit before the baby was
conceived.
The results showed
that non-allergic asthma (without hayfever) was significantly more common in
children with a father who smoked prior to conception. This risk of asthma
increased if a father smoked before the age of 15 and this risk grew the longer
the duration of smoking. The researchers observed no link between the mother's
smoking prior to conception and a child's asthma.
Dr Cecile Svanes, from
the University of Bergen, Norway, said: "This study is important as it is
the first study looking at how a father's smoking habit pre-conception can
affect the respiratory health of his children. Given these results, we can
presume that exposure to any type of air pollution, from occupational exposures
to chemical exposures, could also have an effect. It is important for
policymakers to focus on interventions targeting young men and warning them of
the dangers of smoking and other exposures to their unborn children in the
future."
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