Modulating Effects of Maternal Fish Consumption on the Occurrence of Respiratory Symptoms in Early Infancy Attributed to Prenatal Exposure to Fine Particles

• Published in: Annals of nutrition and metabolism Vol. 52; no. 1; pp. 8 - 16
• Main Authors: Jedrychowski, Wieslaw, Flak, Elzbieta, Mroz, Elzbieta, Pac, Agnieszka, Jacek, Ryszard, Sochacka-Tatara, Elzbieta, Spengler, John, Rauh, Virginia, Perera, Frederica
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland S. Karger AG 01.01.2008
• Subjects: Adult; Airborne particulates; atopy; Babies; breast feeding; Cough - epidemiology; early childhood; early development; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Microbiology; Female; Fish; gender; Gestational Age; Human exposure; Humans; Infant; infant development; infant feeding; Infant, Newborn; Male; maternal nutrition; Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena - physiology; molds (fungi); neonates; Nutrition; Original Paper; Parity; Particle Size; Poland - epidemiology; postnatal development; Pregnancy; pregnant women; Prenatal care; prenatal development; Prenatal exposure; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena - physiology; Respiratory diseases; respiratory physiology; Respiratory Sounds; respiratory tract diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases - epidemiology; Respiratory Tract Diseases - etiology; Risk Factors; Seafood; Sex Factors; signs and symptoms (animals and humans); Poland; Krakow Poland; Poland, Malopolskie, Krakow; Switzerland, Basel; Maternal fish consumption; Respiratory symptoms, early childhood; Fine particles, prenatal exposure
• ISSN: 0250-6807; 1421-9697
• DOI: 10.1159/000114289

The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis whether infants with higher prenatal exposure to fine particles (PM2.5) are at greater risk of developing respiratory symptoms and whether fish consumption in pregnancy may modulate the effect. The study was carried out in a cohort of 465 newborns in Krakow (Poland) who have been followed over the first 2 years of life and for whom data on the occurrence of respiratory symptoms and measurements of personal air monitoring in the second trimester of pregnancy were available. The incidence risk ratio (IRR) of respiratory symptoms due to prenatal PM2.5 exposure were adjusted for potential confounders (gender of child, breastfeeding, parity, maternal atopy, maternal education as a proxy for the socio-economic status, exposure to postnatal environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), and moulds in households) in the generalized estimating equations (GEE) statistical models. The adjusted risk of coughing was associated significantly with PM2.5 level (IRR = 2.51; 95% CI: 1.77-3.58), moulds in the household, parity, maternal atopy and postnatal ETS, but was lower in girls, and in infants whose mothers consumed more fish in pregnancy (IRR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.79-0.91). The risk of wheezing was also correlated significantly with the prenatal exposure to PM2.5 (IRR = 1.36; 95% CI: 1.29-1.43) but also with the presence of moulds in homes, parity, maternal atopy and postnatal ETS. The occurrence of wheezing was associated inversely with the gender of child, gestational age, and fish consumption in pregnancy (IRR = 0.97; 95% CI: 0.95-0.99). Similarly, the risk of difficult (puffy) breathing increased with prenatal exposure to PM2.5 (IRR = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.12-1.25) moulds, maternal atopy, and parity. The symptom occurrence was lower in girls and associated inversely with the gestational age, and fish consumption in pregnancy (IRR = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.92-0.97). The results of the study support the hypothesis that fish consumption in pregnancy may mitigate the harmful effect of prenatal or perinatal exposure to components of PM2.5 resulting in an increased burden of respiratory infections among infants.