Short and long term health effects of parental tobacco smoking during pregnancy and lactation: a descriptive review

Abstract

A great deal of attention has been focused on adverse effects of tobacco smoking on conception, pregnancy, fetal, and child health. The aim of this paper is to discuss the current evidence regarding short and long-term health effects on child health of parental smoking during pregnancy and lactation and the potential underlying mechanisms. Studies were searched on MEDLINE® and Cochrane database inserting, individually and using the Boolean ANDs and ORs, ‘pregnancy’, ‘human lactation’, ‘fetal growth’, ‘metabolic outcomes’, ‘obesity’, ‘cardiovascular outcomes’, ‘blood pressure’, ‘brain development’, ‘respiratory outcomes’, ‘maternal or paternal or parental tobacco smoking’, ‘nicotine’. Publications coming from the reference list of studies were also considered from MEDLINE. All sources were retrieved between 2015-01-03 and 2015-31-05. There is overall consistency in literature about negative effects of fetal and postnatal exposure to parental tobacco smoking on several outcomes: preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, neurodevelopmental and behavioral problems, obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, impaired lung function, asthma and wheezing. While maternal smoking during pregnancy plays a major role on adverse postnatal outcomes, it may also cumulate negatively with smoking during lactation and with second-hand smoking exposure. Although this review was not strictly designed as a systematic review and the PRISMA Statement was not fully applied it may benefit the reader with a promptly and friendly readable update of the matter. This review strengthens the need to plan population health policies aimed to implement educational programs to hopefully minimize tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy and lactation.

Adolescence and the next generation

“…Maternal smoking has consistently been linked to adverse birth and child outcomes ranging from poor fetal growth, low birth weight, stillbirth, sudden unexpected death in infancy and a broad range of birth defects to later childhood behavioural problems, obesity and impaired lung function 98,99 . Heavier antenatal drinking (that is, more than three standard drinks per day) is also independently predictive of poor birth outcomes.…”

Cigarette Smoking-Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy, Vascular Inflammation and Injury Are Attenuated by Antioxidant Supplementation in an Animal Model

“…Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide (Kadhum et al, 2015; Morris et al, 2015). Many studies have reported a strong association between smoking and cardiovascular disease occurrence (Doria et al, 2003; Banderali et al, 2015; Morris et al, 2015; Zaquia Leão et al, 2016). Nevertheless, other studies have failed to find the association between smoking and cardiovascular disease, which is possibly due to the study population and size (Akhtar and Asghar, 2015).…”

Exposition aux gaz d’échappement diesel durant la gestation : quelles conséquences sur le développement foeto-placentaire ? Apport des modèles animaux

“…Enfin, la prématurité affecte plus de 7% des naissances en France et est en constante augmentation (Valery et al 2015). L'environnement maternel au sens large peut affecter la fonction placentaire et les échanges entre la mère et le foetus et il est bien établi que le tabagisme est une cause majeure de RCIU et de prématurité (Mund et al 2013 ;Banderali et al 2015). Il est assez logique de suspecter un rôle de la pollution atmosphérique dans ces pathologies.…”