Here is why fathers-to-be should quit smoking

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Paternal smoking linked to increased risk of congenital heart defects

Fathers-to-be who smoke may increase the risk of congenital heart defects in their offspring

Sunday March 24, 2019 8:31 PM, ummid.com News Network

Paternal Smoking

Fathers-to-be who smoke may increase the risk of congenital heart defects in their offspring, according to a study published Sunday in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

For mothers-to-be, both smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke were detrimental, the journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) said.

"Fathers-to-be should quit smoking", said study author Dr Jiabi Qin, of Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China. "Fathers are a large source of secondhand smoke for pregnant women, which appears to be even more harmful to unborn children than women smoking themselves."

Congenital heart defects are the leading cause of stillbirth and affect 8 in 1,000 babies born worldwide. Prognosis and quality of life continues to improve with innovative surgeries, but the effects are still lifelong.

"Smoking is teratogenic, meaning it can cause developmental malformations. The association between prospective parents smoking and the risk of congenital heart defects has attracted more and more attention with the increasing number of smokers of childbearing age." said Dr Qin.

This was the first meta-analysis to examine the relationships between paternal smoking and maternal passive smoking and risk of congenital heart defects in offspring. Previous analyses have focused on women smokers.

"In fact, smoking in fathers-to-be and exposure to passive smoking in pregnant women are more common than smoking in pregnant women", Dr Qin said.

The researchers compiled the best available evidence up to June 2018. This amounted to 125 studies involving 137,574 babies with congenital heart defects and 8.8 million prospective parents.

All types of parental smoking were associated with the risk of congenital heart defects, with an increase of 74% for men smoking, 124% for passive smoking in women, and 25% for women smoking, compared to no smoking exposure.

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