ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Stress has been suggested to impact the onset and exacerbation of eczema and other atopic disorders. Whether early exposure to stress-related factors might exert long-term effects remains to be clarified. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate whether stress-related maternal factors during pregnancy are associated with childhood eczema during the first 6 years of life. METHODS: Data from 3004 children from a prospective German birth cohort study (LISA) were analyzed. Information from maternity certificates and questionnaire information on unwanted pregnancy were used to evaluate stress-related maternal factors during pregnancy. Prevalence data for physician-diagnosed eczema were available up to the age of 6 years. RESULTS: Maternal factors during pregnancy were positively associated with childhood eczema in terms of cumulative prevalence up to the age of 2 years (adjusted odds ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.95-2.30) after adjusting for potential confounders. Beyond the second year no increased risk was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that stress-related maternal factors during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of childhood eczema during the first 2 years of life. The impact of postnatal stress such as parental divorce or separation on this association could not be clarified. Future studies should therefore further elucidate how prenatal and postnatal stress interact and whether prenatal stress might have a programming effect. If future studies confirm the findings of this study, reducing maternal stress during pregnancy might be a possible target in the primary prevention of eczema during childhood.
Subject(s)
Eczema/epidemiology , Maternal-Fetal Exchange/physiology , Pregnancy Complications , Stress, Physiological , Stress, Psychological , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Cohort Studies , Eczema/congenital , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Germany , Humans , Immunomodulation , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Pregnancy , Prevalence , Risk FactorsSubject(s)
Craniofacial Dysostosis/genetics , Dwarfism/genetics , Eczema/genetics , Craniofacial Dysostosis/complications , Craniofacial Dysostosis/diagnosis , Dwarfism/complications , Dwarfism/diagnosis , Eczema/complications , Eczema/congenital , Eczema/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Male , SyndromeSubject(s)
Abnormalities, Multiple , Dwarfism/congenital , Facial Bones/abnormalities , Child, Preschool , Eczema/congenital , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , SyndromeSubject(s)
Eczema/drug therapy , Pepsin A/therapeutic use , Adult , Child, Preschool , Eczema/congenital , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , PregnancyABSTRACT
We have analyzed 88 pregnancies in 50 women who had previously been treated for gestational trophoblastic neoplasms with chemotherapeutic agents. No increase in fetal wastage, congenital abnormalities or complicated pregnancies was noted, suggesting that these drugs do not damage human oocytes in the doses and time periods used. The possibility that recessive mutations have been induced but were undetected cannot be evaluated definitively at present.
