Periconceptional tobacco smoking and isolated congenital heart defects in the neonatal period.
BACKGROUND
Tobacco use in pregnancy is considered a human developmental toxicant and potential teratogen. The aim of the study was to test for a possible association between periconceptional tobacco smoking and congenital heart disease (CHD) in the neonatal period.


METHODS
Maternal and infant characteristics of 157 neonates diagnosed with CHD at the University of Patras Medical School were collected and were compared with 208 normal neonates (aged 1-28 days) that were referred for echocardiography during a specified 3-year period.


RESULTS
In neonates with CHD 64 of 157 mothers (40.8%) reported smoking in pregnancy, whereas in the control group 41 of 208 mothers (19.7%) were smokers (p=0.000). Logistic regression analysis with pregestational diabetes, history of influenza-like illness in the first trimester, therapeutic drug exposure in pregnancy, maternal age, parity, family history of CHD, infant gender, prematurity and paternal smoking, as potential confounding factors showed that periconceptional tobacco smoking was associated with increased risk of CHD in the offspring (OR=2.750, 95% CI=1.659-4.476, p=0.00001). The incidence of neonatal heart disease in women who were non-smokers or smoked 1-10 and ≥11 cigarettes per day increased with the level of fetal tobacco exposure (35.8% versus 55.3% versus 64.3%, x2-test=20.303, p=0.000), suggesting a dose effect.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of the study are indicative of an association between periconceptional tobacco exposure and increased risk of CHD in the neonatal period. The potential role of gestational smoking as a risk factor for specific heart defect subgroups requires the conduction of large population based epidemiological studies.
Karatza
Ageliki A
AA
Department of Paediatrics, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, University of Patras Medical School, Patras, Greece.
Giannakopoulos
Ioannis
I
Dassios
Theodore G
TG
Belavgenis
George
G
Mantagos
Stefanos P
SP
Varvarigou
Anastasia A
AA
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult