Babies of women who smoked during pregnancy have blood pressure problems at birth that may persist through the first year of life.
Babies of women who smoked during pregnancy have blood pressure problems at birth that may persist through the first year of life.
To determine whether smoking during pregnancy makes the newborn prone to blood pressure problems, Swedish researchers compared 19 infants of nonsmoking couples with 17 infants born to women who smoked an average of 15 cigarettes a day during pregnancy. They compared the heart rate of the infants in control group and the infants exposed to tobacco since birth to 1 year. The data regarding their blood pressure and heart rate was recorded non-invasively during passive re-positioning (60 degree head-up tilt).
It was found that at one week of age, the infants of nonsmoking mothers experienced a 2 percent increase in blood pressure when tilted upright, with a 10 percent increase at one year. The pattern for the children of smoking mothers was reversed: a 10 percent blood pressure increase at one week and a 4 percent increase at one year. And the heart rate response to tilting of the children of mothers who smoked was abnormally exaggerated.
The reason why exposure to tobacco in the womb affects blood pressure is not clear. A leading possibility could be that smoking might damage the structure and function of blood vessels, mainly by damaging the endothelium, the delicate layer of cells that line the interior of blood vessels.
The researchers concluded that smoking during pregnancy leads to long-lasting reprogramming of infant blood pressure control mechanism.
They recommend that women should avoid smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke during pregnancy as passive smoking can be as bad as being an active smoker.
To determine whether smoking during pregnancy makes the newborn prone to blood pressure problems, Swedish researchers compared 19 infants of nonsmoking couples with 17 infants born to women who smoked an average of 15 cigarettes a day during pregnancy. They compared the heart rate of the infants in control group and the infants exposed to tobacco since birth to 1 year. The data regarding their blood pressure and heart rate was recorded non-invasively during passive re-positioning (60 degree head-up tilt).
It was found that at one week of age, the infants of nonsmoking mothers experienced a 2 percent increase in blood pressure when tilted upright, with a 10 percent increase at one year. The pattern for the children of smoking mothers was reversed: a 10 percent blood pressure increase at one week and a 4 percent increase at one year. And the heart rate response to tilting of the children of mothers who smoked was abnormally exaggerated.
The reason why exposure to tobacco in the womb affects blood pressure is not clear. A leading possibility could be that smoking might damage the structure and function of blood vessels, mainly by damaging the endothelium, the delicate layer of cells that line the interior of blood vessels.
The researchers concluded that smoking during pregnancy leads to long-lasting reprogramming of infant blood pressure control mechanism.
They recommend that women should avoid smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke during pregnancy as passive smoking can be as bad as being an active smoker.
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