Negative Effects of Maternal Smoking on Pregnancy and the Fetus in Relation to Elevated Levels of Erythropoetin in Umbilical Cord Plasma

Introduction: Based on many scientific research studies, there has been demonstrated a relation between smoking of pregnant women and its negative effects on pregnancy, intrauterine fetal growth, postnatal newborn condition, and development. The aim of our study is to highlight the adverse effects of cigarette use during pregnancy and to evaluate the effect of maternal smoking on the levels of erythropoietin (EPO) in umbilical cord plasma. Our aim was to show an effect of maternal smoking by determining carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels in maternal blood, too. Design: Prospective analysis. Setting: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Martin, Slovak Republic. Methods: Our study included 174 newborns. Mothers were divided into group of smokers (n = 67) and non-smokers (n = 107). This prospective study was realized from February 2012 to November 2013 at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Slovak Republic. Patients signed a written informed consent and completed a questionnaire that involved medical history, and data of their smoking habits. EPO levels were measured in 174 samples of umbilical cord plasma. Infants were born spontaneously at term. Results: We observed significantly higher EPO levels in umbilical cord plasma in children born to smokers in contrast to non-smokers’ (children of non-smoking mothers: 19 ± 8 mIU/mL; children of smokers: 61 ± 33 mIU/mL, p

[1]  N. Benowitz,et al.  Levels of cotinine in dried blood specimens from newborns as a biomarker of maternal smoking close to the time of delivery. , 2013, American journal of epidemiology.

[2]  T. Maciejewski,et al.  The role and regulation of secretion of erythropoietin in pregnancy. , 2013, Medycyna wieku rozwojowego.

[3]  P. Laurberg,et al.  Thyroglobulin in smoking mothers and their newborns at delivery suggests autoregulation of placental iodide transport overcoming thiocyanate inhibition. , 2013, European journal of endocrinology.

[4]  J. Barciszewski,et al.  [Effect of cigarette smoking on blood lead levels in pregnant women]. , 2012, Medycyna wieku rozwojowego.

[5]  Y. Paksoy,et al.  Umbilical Cord Serum Erythropoietin Levels and Maternal Smoking in Pregnancy , 2012, TheScientificWorldJournal.

[6]  R. Heshmat,et al.  Association of self-reported passive smoking in pregnant women with cotinine level of maternal urine and umbilical cord blood at delivery. , 2012, Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology.

[7]  O. Erel,et al.  Maternal active or passive smoking causes oxidative stress in placental tissue , 2011, European Journal of Pediatrics.

[8]  I. Berlin,et al.  Newborns' cord blood plasma cotinine concentrations are similar to that of their delivering smoking mothers. , 2010, Drug and alcohol dependence.

[9]  J. Gajewska,et al.  [The effect of tobacco smoking on serum concentration of IGF-I and its binding proteins IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-4 in pregnant women]. , 2010, Przeglad lekarski.

[10]  J. Widness,et al.  Increased Fetal Plasma and Amniotic Fluid Erythropoietin Concentrations: Markers of Intrauterine Hypoxia , 2008, Neonatology.

[11]  G. Lindmark,et al.  Maternal smoking does not affect fetal size as measured in the mid‐second trimester , 2007, Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica.

[12]  Drahoslava Hrubá.  Proč nekouřit v těhotentsví ? Nové poznatky o účincíchnikotinu. , 2007 .

[13]  D. Yach,et al.  The influence of maternal cigarette smoking, snuff use and passive smoking on pregnancy outcomes: the Birth To Ten Study. , 2006, Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology.

[14]  N. Sass,et al.  Obstetric and perinatal effects of active and/or passive smoking during pregnancy , 2004, Sao Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina.

[15]  M. Kaminski,et al.  The complex relationship between smoking in pregnancy and very preterm delivery , 2004, BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology.

[16]  M. Hedegaard,et al.  A prospective study of maternal smoking and spontaneous abortion , 2003, Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica.

[17]  J. Coste,et al.  Risk factors for ectopic pregnancy: a comprehensive analysis based on a large case-control, population-based study in France. , 2003, American journal of epidemiology.

[18]  G. Fried,et al.  Fetal erythropoietin and endothelin‐1: relation to hypoxia and intrauterine growth retardation , 2000, Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica.

[19]  A. Gruslin,et al.  Maternal Smoking and Fetal Erythropoietin Levels , 2000, Obstetrics and gynecology.

[20]  W. Spellacy,et al.  Umbilical cord plasma erythropoietin levels in pregnancies complicated by maternal smoking. , 1998, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.

[21]  G. Farmakides,et al.  Elevated Umbilical Erythropoietin Levels During Labor in Newborns of Smoking Mothers , 1996, American journal of perinatology.