Uncontrolled asthma during pregnancy is associated with many complications, including complicated labor, growth retardation, preterm birth, increased risk of infant death, and lack of oxygen to the baby. However, if asthma is well controlled, there is little or no increased risk of adverse outcome, Dr. Cydulka said. Rapid treatment at the time of an asthma attack in a pregnant woman is necessary to prevent loss of oxygen to the mother and fetus, she said. She noted that ER physicians may be reluctant to treat pregnant women with corticosteroids because of concerns about harmful effects of medication on the fetus. Corticosteroids are a group of anti-inflammatory drugs that help reduce or stop inflammatory reactions in the airways.
Steroids are the most effective anti-inflammatory drugs used for asthma treatment.
Steroids may be taken by mouth or breathed into the lungs using an inhaler. Two weeks later, pregnant women were 2.9 times more likely than the nonpregnant women to report ongoing asthma symptoms. The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine , formerly The American Review of Respiratory Disease is one of two official journals published by the American Lung Association through its medical section, the American Thoracic Society. A second journal, The Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology , covers basic pulmonary research. The American Lung Association fights lung disease.