Women who catch a cold during pregnancy are more likely to have a baby with asthma, study claims

• The more colds a mother-to-be catches, the more chance her baby has of developing asthma as bacteria and viruses affect the in utero environment
• Babies exposed to allergens are more likely to become sensitive to them

The more colds and other illnesses a woman gets during pregnancy, the greater the chance of her child having asthma

When a woman is exposed to bacteria and viruses, it changes the environment in her womb and this can increase her child's chance of allergies and asthma

Women who catch a cold during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to an asthmatic child, a new study has revealed.

Researchers say women who are pregnant may want to take extra precautions around those who are sniffling and sneezing this winter. 

The more colds and viral infections a woman has during pregnancy, the higher the risk of her baby having asthma, according to the study published in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Researchers found a mother’s infections and bacterial exposure during pregnancy affect the baby's environment in the womb, increasing a baby’s risk of developing allergies and asthma in childhood.

Allergist Dr Mitch Grayson, Annals deputy editor and fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, said: ‘In addition, these same children that had early exposure to allergens, such as house dust and pet hair, had increased odds of becoming sensitised by age five.

‘When dust mites from the mother and child’s mattresses were examined, children with high dust mite exposure, yet low bacteria exposure, were more likely to be allergic to dust mites than those with low mite exposure and high bacteria exposure.’

Researchers studied 513 pregnant women in Germany, and their 526 children. 

Questionnaires were completed during pregnancy, when the children were three and 12 months old, and every year up to five-years-old. 

Of the families, 61 per cent had a parent with asthma, hay fever or atopic dermatitis.

According to the ACAAI, asthma and allergy can be hereditary.

If both of a child’s parents have allergies, the child has a 75 per cent chance of being allergic. 

If one of the parents is allergic, or if a close relative has allergies, the child has a 30 to 40 per cent chance of having some form of allergy. 

If neither parent has allergy, the chance is only 10 to 15 per cent.

ACAAI president and allergist Dr Michael Foggs said: ‘We know that allergy and asthma can develop in the womb since genetics play a factor in both diseases.

‘But this study sheds light about how a mother’s environment during pregnancy can begin affecting the child before birth.’

Asthma is the most common potentially serious medical condition to complicate pregnancy, according to the ACAAI. 

In fact, asthma affects around one in 12 women in their childbearing years. 

When women with asthma become pregnant, one third of the patients improve, one third worsen and one third remain unchanged.

Source - Dailymail