Deleterious effects of smoking during pregnancy: studies on blood oxygen affinity.
16 mothers smoking 1-40 cigarettes dialy during pregnancy and their infants were studied at delivery compared to 13 non-smoking controls. The infants of smoking mothers had significantly decreased weight and length at birth compared to the infants of non-smokers. In the smoker group the thiocyanate level in maternal venous and newborn cord blood sera was significantly higher than in the non-smokers. The standard blood oxygen affinity of cord blood was significantly increased in the smokers' group and was positively correlated to the thiocyanate level in cord blood. At the age of three and five days there were no differences in the newborns' capillary blood standard oxygen affinity between the two groups. The deleterious effect of maternal smoking on the fetus and newborn is discussed.
D001034:Apgar Score; D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012907:Smoking; D013861:Thiocyanates / Q000097:blood
D013861:Thiocyanates; D010100:Oxygen