Jump to full article: InTheNews.co.uk (uk), 2008-04-30
Intro: Scientists have discovered how smoking during pregnancy can result in babies of low birth weight, according to a new study.
Previous research has linked smoking with negative effects on the unborn child, including low birth weight and premature birth.
Now researchers at the University of Sydney say there is a significant association between smoking during pregnancy, an effect on blood vessels and growth restriction in the unborn baby.
The effect on blood vessels is described as endothelial dysfunction; a state that can lead to reduced dilation of blood vessels, inflammation of the vascular (blood vessel) wall and an increase in the incidence of blood clots. . . .
The results, published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, revealed that the women who smoked during pregnancy had persistent endothelial dysfunction, which remained at a constant level whether one or two cigarettes had just been smoked or following a nine-hour break from smoking.
Strong links were also found between endothelial dysfunction and intrauterine growth restriction, which carries an increased risk of babies dying around the time of birth.
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