The Influence of Asthma and/or Hay Fever on Pregnancy: Data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth

Abstract

Background: Asthma is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. At the same time there is a worldwide increase in asthma and hay fever.

Objective: This study addresses whether asthma and/or hay fever adversely influence pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: Data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth that include a history of diagnosed asthma, hay fever, and adverse pregnancy outcomes in 10,847 women representative of the US population aged 15 to 44 years were analyzed.

Results: Women with the allergic phenotypes asthma and hay fever and hay fever only had no significant increase in adverse pregnancy outcomes (spontaneous pregnancy loss, preterm birth, infant low birth weight), whereas women with the nonatopic phenotype asthma only (without hay fever) did. The study did not evaluate endotypes.

Conclusions: This study provides new data that the allergic phenotypes, asthma and hay fever and hay fever only, are compatible with healthy pregnancy, whereas the nonatopic asthma phenotype, asthma only, adversely impacts pregnancy.

Keywords: Allergic rhinitis; Allergy; Asthma; Infant low birth weight; Preterm birth; Spontaneous abortion.