Stressed pregnant mothers are more likely to have infants who suffer from asthma and allergies, suggests a research.The findings, which were presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in Toronto, Canada, shows that women stressed during pregnancy have greater risk of giving birth to kids who suffer from asthma and allergies."This research adds to a growing body of evidence that links maternal stress such as that precipitated by financial problems or relationship issues to changes in children’s developing immune systems, even during pregnancy," said lead researcher Dr Rosalind Wright of Harvard Medical School in Boston, United States.
The research at the Harvard Medical School, Boston, indicates that children exposed to stress before birth have greater tendency to react to allergy triggers such as dust mites.
"This research supports the notion that stress can be thought of as a social pollutant that, when ‘breathed’ into the body, may influence the immune response, similar to the effects of physical pollutants like allergens," noted Dr Wright.
The researchers led by Wright found mothers who were the highly distressed during pregnancy were most likely to give birth to infants with higher levels of immunoglobulin E or IgE — an immune system compound — even though their mothers had only mild exposure to allergens during pregnancy.
The finds held true regardless of the mother’s race, class, education or smoking history.According to another study, published in Journal of Paediatric Psychology, infants and toddlers whose mothers are severely depressed are almost three times more likely to suffer accidental injuries than other children in the same age group. Courtsey: DD NEWS