Smoking in pregnancy is common but its effects on lipoprotein levels and arterial structure in childhood are not well characterized. A community-based longitudinal study was conducted on 616 newborn infants (gestation >36 weeks and birth weight >2.5 kg) with prospective ascertainment of exposure to smoking in pregnancy and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) since birth. At eight years of age, 405 of the children had measurements of lipoproteins, blood pressure (BP) and carotid intima-media thickness. Results revealed that children born to mothers who smoked in pregnancy had lower HDL cholesterol (1.32 vs. 1.50 mmol/L, P = 0.0005), higher triglycerides (1.36 vs. 1.20 mmol/L, P = 0.04), and higher systolic BP (102.1 vs. 99.9 mmHg, P = 0.006). After adjustment for maternal passive smoking, post-natal ETS exposure, gender, breast feeding duration, physical inactivity, and adiposity, smoking in pregnancy remained significantly associated with lower HDL cholesterol (P = 0.003) but not with higher systolic BP. Neither smoking in pregnancy nor post-natal ETS exposure was associated with alterations of carotid artery wall thickness. The authors concluded that smoking in pregnancy is independently associated with significantly lower HDL cholesterol in healthy 8-year-old children. Eur Heart J. 2011 Jun 21. PMID: 21693475.
