Approximately 3 to 8 percent of pre...

Approximately 3 to 8 percent of pregnant women have asthma, unless the impact of the disease or its treatment forward pregnancy outcomes is not clearly understood. Bracken and colleagues studied more than 800 pregnant women with asthma to determine the weights of asthma and its treatment in succession pregnancy outcomes.

They riddleed all pregnant women attending 71 clinics in recently made known England before 24 weeks of gestation. Women with a history of physician diagnosed asthma were invited to participate in the application of mind The 872 women who agreed were matched with 1333 dominion government patients. All participants were interviewed at 20 28 and 36 weeks of gestation, and again in the hospital shortly after delivery. The data garnered included demographic information, symptoms, and the use of health services, in addition to pregnancy issues Mothers with asthma were classified into four disposes based on severity of symptoms (i.e., intermittent, mild-persistent, moderate-persistent, and severe-persistent). An overall asthma severity score was calculated for each woman based onward symptoms and medications used. This score was related to gestational age and weight at delivery.

In the initial follows preterm delivery was associated with asthma. The stage of risk was not related to the severity of asthma on the other hand was related to the use of chromone derivatives (such as cromolyn) theophylline, and oral steroids. When confounding variables were controll in multivariate analysis, preterm delivery was not associated with asthma, on the contrary gestation was reduced by 222 weeks in women using oral steroids and at 1.11 weeks in those using theophylline. reciprocally fetal growth restriction was associated with asthma of moderate-persistent severity.

The authors decide that more severe forms of asthma are associated with intrauterine vegetation restriction, possibly caused by fetal hypoxia. These findings validate recommendations to treat pregnant asthmatic patients with beta agonists. reciprocally preterm delivery appears to be related to treatment with oral steroids or theophylline rather than to the severity of asthma. A surprising finding was that single third of women without asthma in the rule group reported symptoms consistent with asthma. The authors call for greater vigilance to ascertain unrecognized asthma in pregnant patients.

"Tips from Other Journals" are written on the medical editors of American Family Physician.

Bracken MB et al. Asthma symptoms, severity, and physic therapy: a prospective study of consequences on 2205 pregnancies. Obstet Gynecol October 2003;102:739-52

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