In a study of 3,477 asthmatic women, those who had asthma exacerbations in the first trimester were 48 percent more likely to have a child with a congenital malformation: 13 percent of babies born to women with asthma attacks had at least one malformation, such as a birth defect of the heart, facial structures, spine or digestive system. That compared with 9 percent of infants whose mothers had well-controlled asthma in early pregnancy.' advice: "Women who are planning to become pregnant should make sure their asthma is under control. If it's not well-controlled, they should go to their doctor."References:
First-trimester asthma flares tied to birth defects. Reuters.
Women are more likely to be diagnosed with asthma and suffer greater morbidity than men. Medscape, 2011.
Asthma and pregnancy. JACI, 2011.
Maternal Asthma Medication Use and the Risk of Selected Birth Defects. Pediatrics, 2012.
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It still hard to say that exacerbation cause birth defect. I think that it is caused by medication effect such as inhaled corticosteroid (Category C.) When you has an exacerbation you need more med and it leads to more birth defect.
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