July 9th, 2008
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This news item is more than a year old. Links, graphics, content, medical information, and statistics may be out of date. We invite you to search, visit our homepage, or contact us to find more current information on the topic you're looking for.Smoking by mothers may increase risk of colic in babies: report
Lindsey Tanner, Canadian Press
October 5, 2004
CHICAGO (AP) - Mothers who smoke during or after pregnancy increase their babies' risk of developing colic, those vexing, inconsolable crying spells that affect up to 20 per cent of babies in their first few months of life, researchers say.
The culprit, based on studies in adults, is likely nicotine, which increases blood levels of a gut protein involved in digestion, said Brown University epidemiologist Edmond Shenassa. That may result in painful cramping that makes babies cry, he said. Shenassa and Harvard University researcher Mary-Jean Brown reviewed several studies, including six that involved more than 12,000 babies.
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Reference:
Edmond D. Shenassa and Mary-Jean Brown
Maternal Smoking and Infantile Gastrointestinal Dysregulation: The Case of Colic
Pediatrics 2004; 114: e497-e505