Women who smoke during pregnancy may be putting their newborns at risk for cong enital heart defects, and the more they smoke, the higher the risk, according to a study presented this past weekend at the [b]Paediatric Academic Societies[/b] annual meeting in Canada, reports the [s]American Academy of Pediatrics[/s].
In addition, although women aged 35 and older were less likely to smoke during pregnancy than younger women, older women had a higher risk of having a child with a heart defect if they smoked. Newborns with smoking mothers were at about 50-70% greater risk for anomalies of the pulmonary valve and arteries, and about a 20% greater risk for atrial septal defects.
[link url=http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/Smoking-During-Pregnancy-May-Raise-Risk-for-Heart-Defects-in-Babies.aspx]American Academy of Pediatrics report[/link]
[link url=http://www.abstracts2view.com/pas/view.php?nu=PAS14L1_1190.3&terms]American Academy of Pediatrics abstract[/link]