Washington: Researchers at Columbia University``s Mailman School of Public Health have indicated that anxiety, stress and depression during pregnancy may lead to a greater risk of asthma for the offspring.
"Approximately 70 pc of mothers who said they experienced high levels of anxiety or depression while they were pregnant reported their child had wheezed before age 5," said Marilyn Reyes, senior research worker at the Mailman School of Public Health``s Columbia Center for Children``s Environmental Health (CCCEH), and lead author of the study.
"Understanding how maternal health affects a child``s respiratory health is important in developing effective strategies to prevent asthma,” she added.
The study of 279 inner-city African-American and Hispanic women was conducted before, during pregnancy and after birth. The findings support a growing body of research showing that exposures can influence the risk of developing asthma.
The study has been published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).
ANI
