MATERNAL STRESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA.

Asthma is a common disease with increasing prevalence both in children and adults. WHO estimates that annually 15 million disability-adjusted life-years are lost and 250,000 asthma deaths are reported worldwide. Approximately 500,000 annual hospitalizations are due to asthma. To study the Relationship between environmental factors and childhood asthma has been studied. Maternal stress during pregnancy might affect fetal lung development and subsequently predispose to childhood asthma. The aim of the study was to assess the associations of maternal psychological stress during pregnancy and identify environmental correlates of the conditions with childhood asthma. Case-controlled retrospective study among 84 children, 6-8 yy. (among them 40 with verified asthma). We assessed maternal risk - factors and environmental correlates by the questionnaire. An increased risk of asthma was found in infants of pregnant women with severe stress. Results of statistical analyses showed reliable positive correlation with asthma: birth weight <2500 (r=.232; p=0.035); severe stress (r=.532; p=0.000); asthma history/mother (r=.426; p=0.000); allergy/mother (r=.402; p=0.000); chronic bronchitis /mother (r=.447; p=0.000); asthma/father (r=.425; p=0.000); allergy/father (r=.245; p=0.026); eczema/father - (r=0.081; - p=0.466); chronic bronchitis/father (r=.304; p=0.005); primary educatin/mother (r=.240; p=0.029); primary education/father (r=.246; p=0.025); Negative correlation: term newborn (r=-.514; p=0.000); breastfeeding (r=-.325; p=0.003); moderate stress (r=-.263; p=0.016); working parents (r=-.418; p=0.000); financial income of the family (r=-.275; p=0.012). Our results suggest intrauterine effects of maternal factors during pregnancy on the presence of childhood asthma. Maternal severe stress during pregnancy can trigger of wheezing and asthma of their child.