Smoking while pregnant ‘can damage kidney function in children’

Mothers who smoke while pregnant may be putting their children at risk of kidney damage, according to a new study.

The Kyoto University research involved a population-based retrospective study of 44,595 children from pregnancy to three years of age in Japan, with investigators looking for the presence of proteinuria, or elevated protein the urine, a sign of reduced kidney function.

It was found that 4.4 percent of women smoked only before pregnancy, while 16.7 percent continued smoking while pregnant. The frequency of proteinuria in children at age three were 1.7 percent when mothers continued to smoke during pregnancy, 1.6 percent when smoking ceased during pregnancy, and 1.3 percent when mothers were nonsmokers.

As such, maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with a 1.24-times increased risk of child proteinuria, compared with no exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy.

Given that maternal smoking during pregnancy is also known to be associated with preterm birth, low birth weight and neonatal asphyxia, this report offers further evidence of the need for women to quit smoking when trying to conceive a child.

Study leader Dr Koji Kawakami said: "Prevention of child proteinuria is important since child proteinuria can lead to development of chronic kidney disease in adulthood and ultimately end stage renal disease."

With over 20 years of experience within the science market, we at Zenopa have the knowledge, skills and expertise to help find the right job for you. To find out more about the current science roles we have available, you can search for the latest job roles, register your details, or contact the team today.