Asthma in Some Children Linked to Smoking Mothers

A study has shown that certain children are especially susceptible to respiratory problems and have an increased risk for emergency room visits if their mothers smoked during pregnancy. The study was published in the August 15, 2002, issue of the Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Children in the study with a common genetic variant who were exposed to maternal cigarette smoke in the womb were significantly more likely to have asthma, wheezing, and emergency room visits due to breathing problems than other children. The researchers collected cell samples from the mouth of all the children and analyzed their DNA. They looked for a gene called glutathione S-transferase M1, or GSTM1. This gene is responsible for creating an enzyme the lung uses to protect itself from pollutants. The enzyme helps the lungs detoxify some of the products of tobacco and defuses oxidants before they can cause damage.

"Maternal smoking is common, and the null genotype is found in nearly half of the population, so this high-risk group might be an important population to target for prevention,” said Frank D. Gilliland, M.D., Ph.D., and professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC, Los Angeles, USA).




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