TY - JOUR T1 - Effect of air pollution exposure during pregnancy on the steroid profile of newborns JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 42 IS - Suppl 57 SP - 401 AU - Simone Rüedi AU - Elena Proietti AU - Olga Gorlanova AU - Bernhard Dick AU - Christa Flück AU - Martin Röösli AU - Philipp Latzin AU - Brigitte M. Frey AU - Urs Frey Y1 - 2013/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/401.abstract N2 - Prenatal air pollution exposure has adverse effects on the infant’s respiratory system. One pathway involved might be via oxidative stress, possibly leading to a modified pattern of steroid production. We thus examined a possible association of air pollution exposure during pregnancy and steroid metabolites excreted in the newborn’s urine.In a prospective birth cohort of 207 healthy term born neonates (BILD cohort), we assessed exposure to air pollution during pregnancy using proximity to roads, particulate matter (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from a fixed air quality monitoring station. We analysed steroid profiles in 172 urines, sampled at one month of age, using mass spectrometry/gas chromatography. We adjusted the multivariable regression for maternal atopy, socio-economic factors and gender, and tested for potential confounding due to infections and drug intake during pregnancy, perinatal stress and season of birth.Prenatal exposure to NO2 (per each 10mg/m3 increase) was associated with 117% increase of 6bOHcortisol (95%CI 10-320%) and 118% increase of 6bOHcortisol/cortisol ratio (95%CI 10-330%). A comparable association was observed after subpartal stress with pathological cardiotocogram. Interestingly, prenatal exposure to PM10 was associated with increased cortisone metabolites: 44% increase of tetrahydrocortisone (95%CI 2-103%) and 28% increase of a-cortolone (95%CI 10-50%) per 10mg/m3PM10.Our results suggest that air pollution exposure during pregnancy is associated with alterations of the steroid profiles in newborns’ urine, comparable to those found in infants exposed to subpartal stress. ER -