The Role of Nicotine in the Effects of Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy on Lung Development and Childhood Respiratory Disease. Implications for Dangers of E-Cigarettes

Introduction:
This article discusses the role of nicotine in the effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy on lung development and childhood respiratory disease, and the implications for the dangers of e-cigarettes. The study highlights the increasing use of e-cigarettes, especially among young people, and the perception that they are safe. however, the authors argue that e-cigarette use during pregnancy is likely to have the same harmful effects on offspring lung function and health as conventional cigarettes.

Key Points:

* Maternal smoking during pregnancy has lifelong consequences for offspring lung function, including increased risk of childhood wheezing and subsequent asthma.
* Recent evidence suggests that much of the effect of smoking during pregnancy on offspring lung function is mediated by nicotine.
* E-cigarette use during pregnancy is likely to have the same harmful effects on offspring lung function and health as conventional cigarettes.
* The evidence for nicotine being the mediator of harm of conventional cigarettes is most compelling for its effects on lung development.
* The developing lung is particularly sensitive to the effects of nicotine.
* The use of e-cigarettes by e-cigarette-only users who think they are safe or by those sufficiently addicted to nicotine to not be able to quit is a concern.
* health professionals should be aware of the risks of e-cigarette usage during pregnancy, particularly as it pertains to offspring respiratory health.

Main Message:
The study emphasizes the need for health professionals to be aware of the risks of e-cigarette usage during pregnancy, particularly as it pertains to offspring respiratory health. The evidence suggests that nicotine is the mediator of harm of conventional cigarettes, and e-cigarettes deliver high levels of nicotine. Therefore, e-cigarette use during pregnancy is likely to have the same harmful effects on offspring lung function and health as conventional cigarettes. This information is critical for healthcare providers to educate pregnant women about the potential dangers of e-cigarette usage during pregnancy.

Spindel, Eliot R., and Cindy T. McEvoy. “The Role of Nicotine in the Effects of Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy on Lung Development and Childhood Respiratory Disease. Implications for Dangers of E-Cigarettes.” american Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 193, no. 5 (March 1, 2016): 486–94. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.201510-2013PP.