Katarzyna Smejda1, Kinga Polanska2, Dorota Merecz-Kot3, Anna Krol2, Wojciech Hanke2, Joanna Jerzynska1, Wlodzimierz Stelmach4, Paweł Majak5, Iwona Stelmach6. 1. Department of Pediatrics and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Copernicus Memorial Hospital in Lodz, Poland. 2. Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Lodz, Poland. 3. Department of Health and Work Psychology, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Lodz, Poland. 4. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland. 5. Department of Internal Medicine, Asthma and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland. 6. Department of Pediatrics and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Copernicus Memorial Hospital in Lodz, Poland. alergol@kopernik.lodz.pl.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Many recent studies indicate that prenatal maternal distress increases the risk of allergic diseases in children. The mechanisms that favor it are still unclear. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the association between exposure to different kinds of prenatal stress and the occurrence of atopic dermatitis, food allergy, wheezing, and recurrent respiratory tract infections in children. METHODS: The study population consisted of 370 mother-child pairs from a Polish Mother and Child Cohort (REPRO_PL). The analysis was restricted to the women who worked at least one month during the pregnancy period. Maternal psychological stress during pregnancy was assessed based on the Subjective Work Characteristics Questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Social Readjustment Rating Scale. The presence of atopic dermatitis, food allergy, wheezing, and recurrent respiratory tract infections in children was evaluated by doctors at 12 months of age. RESULTS: In a univariate model, we showed significant association between maternal life stress (according to the Perceived Stress Scale) and stressful life events (according to the Social Readjustment Rating Scale) and infant wheezing (at least 1 episode of wheezing during the first year of life). A multivariate model of logistic regression analysis revealed that maternal stress during pregnancy, described by the Social Readjustment Rating Scale, increased the risk of wheezing in children (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.01-1.02) independently from other predictors of wheezing previously determined in this cohort, such as the number of infections and maternal smoking. We observed also significant positive association between maternal life stress during pregnancy measured by the Perceived Stress Scale and the risk of recurrent respiratory tract infections in the first year of life, however it was not significant after adjustment for confounding variables. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal stress during pregnancy increases the risk of childhood wheezing. The effects of stress during pregnancy on the onset of allergic diseases in children should be developed and translated into early prevention strategies.
BACKGROUND: Many recent studies indicate that prenatal maternal distress increases the risk of allergic diseases in children. The mechanisms that favor it are still unclear. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the association between exposure to different kinds of prenatal stress and the occurrence of atopic dermatitis, food allergy, wheezing, and recurrent respiratory tract infections in children. METHODS: The study population consisted of 370 mother-child pairs from a Polish Mother and Child Cohort (REPRO_PL). The analysis was restricted to the women who worked at least one month during the pregnancy period. Maternal psychological stress during pregnancy was assessed based on the Subjective Work Characteristics Questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Social Readjustment Rating Scale. The presence of atopic dermatitis, food allergy, wheezing, and recurrent respiratory tract infections in children was evaluated by doctors at 12 months of age. RESULTS: In a univariate model, we showed significant association between maternal life stress (according to the Perceived Stress Scale) and stressful life events (according to the Social Readjustment Rating Scale) and infantwheezing (at least 1 episode of wheezing during the first year of life). A multivariate model of logistic regression analysis revealed that maternal stress during pregnancy, described by the Social Readjustment Rating Scale, increased the risk of wheezing in children (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.01-1.02) independently from other predictors of wheezing previously determined in this cohort, such as the number of infections and maternal smoking. We observed also significant positive association between maternal life stress during pregnancy measured by the Perceived Stress Scale and the risk of recurrent respiratory tract infections in the first year of life, however it was not significant after adjustment for confounding variables. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal stress during pregnancy increases the risk of childhood wheezing. The effects of stress during pregnancy on the onset of allergic diseases in children should be developed and translated into early prevention strategies.
Authors: Suzanne Bennett Johnson; Kristian F Lynch; Roswith Roth; Markus Lundgren; Hemang M Parikh; Beena Akolkar; William Hagopian; Jeffrey Krischer; Marian Rewers; Jin-Xiong She; Jorma Toppari; Anette G Ziegler; Åke Lernmark Journal: Diabetologia Date: 2021-01-06 Impact factor: 10.460