Abstract
We evaluated whether pregnancy complications might affect the respiratory health of the offspring during infancy and childhood.
In 2006, all the children (3-14 years, n=3,907) living in the Viadana district (northern Italy) were surveyed through a parental questionnaire about perinatal life, early-life and current respiratory diseases: bronchitis, pneumonia, wheezing occurred at 0-2 years; asthma, rhinitis, cough/phlegm in the last year. Hospital discharge records for respiratory diseases were obtained for 2007-2012. Associations of pregnancy complications – preeclampsia, febrile infections, risk of miscarriage, vaginitis – with respiratory diseases and hospitalizations were estimated by logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models, respectively, adjusting for term and type of birth, breast-feeding, parental asthma, and other potential confounders.
3,794 (97%) questionnaires were returned. Pregnancy complications were significantly associated with higher risk of respiratory diseases during infancy and in childhood. In particular, children exposed to maternal vaginitis were more likely to have had bronchitis [OR,95%CI] (1.74, 1.26-2.42), pneumonia (2.39, 1.35-4.22), wheezing (1.70, 1.18-2.44) at 0-2 years, to report current asthma (2.40, 1.13-5.06) and cough/phlegm (2.74, 1.77-4.23), and to be hospitalized for respiratory diseases [HR,95%CI] (1.62, 1.00-2.62) in the 6-year follow-up.
Pregnancy complications, and especially vaginitis, seem to affect the offspring's respiratory health throughout infancy and childhood. Adequate treatment of expectant mothers who suffer from vaginitis may reduce the risk of respiratory diseases in the offspring in later life.
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