Good control of asthma during pregnancy is essential for all asthmatic women who wish to face their pregnancy without complications. Dr. Olga Cortés , from the AEPap Respiratory Tract Group, offers us the best advice so that asthma does not affect your baby on the way and ensures that asthma drugs a
Good control of asthma during pregnancy is essential for all asthmatic women who wish to face their pregnancy without complications.
Dr. Olga Cortés, from the AEPap Respiratory Tract Group, offers us the best advice so that asthma does not affect your baby on the way and ensures that asthma drugs are safe during pregnancy and that the lack of Oxygen is a risk factor for the health of the baby and the mother. We explain how asthma is treated in pregnancy.
How asthma is treated in pregnancy
Asthmais the most common chronic disease and one that can cause the most complications during pregnancy. The data reveal that of the 12.6 percent of pregnant asthmatics who come to the Emergency Room due to respiratory distress, only 1.6 percent of them enter when the assessment of severity is made without objective measures.
When objective measures are used, that is, when an expirometry is performed, 62% of asthmatic pregnant women enter.
In general, women who come to the ER do not treat or it is inadequate, although the risk of having an asthma attack decreases more than 75% when pregnant asthmatics take inhaled corticosteroids regularly, according to a study conducted in 2005.
Between week 17 and 24 of gestation (end of the 2nd trimester) is the period in which visits to the emergency room are more frequent, decreasing in the 4 weeks prior to the date set for delivery. Although a woman may suffer an asthma attack at any time, they do not usually occur during childbirth.
Poor asthma control has more risk for the mother and the fetus than taking the medication daily. An attack of asthma, in addition, supposes a greater risk for the fetus due to the diminution of the contribution of oxygen, that needs for its development and growth.
However, studies show that the doses of inhaled corticosteroids are reduced in the first trimester, favoring the appearance of attacks.
Asthma in women during pregnancy should be controlled by specialists, whose objective in the treatment of the disease would be that the fetus had adequate oxygenation and for this it is necessary to prevent the lack of oxygen in the mother. So that complications do not arise in the medre neither the fetus during the pregnancy it is necessary that the asthma is totally controlled.
Consequences of poorly controlled asthma in the fetus
A crisis of maternal asthma during pregnancy can cause a lack of oxygen supply to the fetus that can cause low growth during pregnancy and a low birth weight, a premature birth, malformations, or an increase in perinatal mortality.
On the other hand, the woman who does not have controlled asthma and suffers chronic lack of oxygen, may experience a decrease in placenta growth, spontaneous abortions, placenta previa (at risk of severe bleeding) or preeclampsia. Dr. Olga Cortés states that "what you have to always explain to a woman who has asthma, who becomes pregnant, is that during pregnancy there may be changes in the severity of your asthma disease and that you need to be a little more controlled, more closely by your doctor, and you may have to readjust the medication. '
But it is fundamental to explain that the current drugs for asthma are very safe and that the fundamental danger is not the drug to be taken, but the poor control of asthma or the delayed treatment of the asthmatic crisis, because that what is going to lead to hypoxemia, a decrease in blood oxygen, and this is a risk to the health of the baby. A 'To the pregnant woman,
you have to explain that the drugs are safe and that the most important thing you can do for her and her baby is to have good asthma control'. Marisol Nuevo.