Expecting mothers who smoke put their babies at a higher risk of developing respiratory problems, a latest study reveals.
The researchers studied hospital records and death certificates of 50,000 infants born in the state of Washington between 1987 and 2004.
According to the scientists, babies of smoking mothers had 50 percent more chances of being admitted to hospitals or dying from different infectious diseases.
"We've known for a long time that babies born to mothers who smoke during pregnancy are at high risk for serious medical problems relating to low birth weight, premature delivery and poor lung development," said Abigail Halperin, lead author of the study published in journal Pediatric Infectious Diseases.
"While respiratory infections have been recognized as a common cause of these sometimes life-threatening illnesses, this study shows that babies exposed to smoke in utero also have increased risk for hospitalization and death from a much broader range of infections - both respiratory and non respiratory - than we knew before," Halperin explained.
The researchers further said that the gestation period of the babies did not alter the degree of harm caused by smoking.
"Thus even full-term babies with normal weight are at increased risk for hospitalization or death from multiple types of infections if their mother smoked," Halperin said.
The researchers concluded saying that mothers should avoid smoking during pregnancy in order to lower babies' risk of getting infectious respiratory diseases.
The study will be presented this week at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando.
