[Relationship between sudden infant death and in utero exposure to smoking: how should smoking parents be informed?].
Recent campaigns on having infants sleep on their back has decreased the rate of sudden infant death. Other risk factors have also been identified, including maternal smoking during pregnancy. While many studies have methodological biases, most demonstrate a two to three-fold increase in the risk of sudden infant death among mothers who smoked during pregnancy. The effect of smoking is basically caused by nicotine which is toxic for the brain. This compound has specific trophicity for the respiratory centers rich in nicotinic cholinergic receptors. Deficiencies which could result could lead to greater vulnerability of the infant to episodes of hypoxia. The risk would be dose dependent and more marked in women smoking more than nine cigarettes per day. After birth, certain factors would increase the risk, including passive smoking and sleeping in the mother's bed.
Service de Médecine Légale et Pénitentiaire, Hôpital R. Salengro, CHRU de Lille, 59037 Lille Cedex.
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Desurmont
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Schepens
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*