Asthma in pregnancy-Management, maternal co-morbidities, and long-term health

Asthma is the most prevalent chronic disease in pregnancy, and as symptoms can change with pregnancy, and exacerbations of asthma are common, regular review of asthma symptoms, the provision of self-management education, and appropriate medi-cation use are the hallmarks of management. Co-morbidities are also prevalent among pregnant women with asthma, with obesity, gestational diabetes, hypertension, rhinitis, depression, and anxi-ety, more common among women with asthma than women without asthma. Less is known about reflux, obstructive sleep apnoea and vocal cord dysfunction, along with nutritional de-ficiencies to iron and vitamin D. Maternal asthma impacts the offspring's long-term health, particularly in increasing the risk of early life wheeze and asthma in childhood. While breastfeeding may modify the risk of infant wheeze, less is known about the mechanisms involved. More research is needed to further under-stand the relationship between asthma in pregnancy and the risk of poor neurodevelopmental outcomes, such as autism.(c) 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Automated summary

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in pregnancy, and it requires regular assessment of symptoms, self-management education, and appropriate medication use. Pregnant women with asthma often have comorbidities such as obesity, gestational diabetes, hypertension, rhinitis, depression, and anxiety. Further research is needed to understand the relationship between asthma in pregnancy and poor neurodevelopmental outcomes like autism.