Perinatal complications associated with maternal asthma during pregnancy.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Asthma is one of the most common medical illnesses occurring in pregnancy and its incidence amongst the obstetric population is increasing. Previous studies have suggested that asthma is not a benign illness in pregnancy, and can contribute towards increased rates of pregnancy complications. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective audit of 6458 deliveries during 2008 at The Royal Women's Hospital to determine the perinatal outcomes for women with a self-reported diagnosis of asthma. RESULTS: We found that 501 (7.8%) deliveries were to women who identified themselves as asthmatics. Of these, 15.6% reported exacerbations of their asthma symptoms during pregnancy, with the remainder r..