Common colds during pregnancy boost kids' asthma risk

A new study has revealed that the more common colds and viral infections a woman has during pregnancy, the higher the risk her baby will have asthma.

The study found that a mother's infections and bacterial exposure during pregnancy affect the in utero environment, thus increasing a baby's risk of developing allergy and asthma in childhood.

"In addition, these same children that had early exposure to allergens, such as house dust and pet dander, had increased odds of becoming sensitized by age five," allergist Mitch Grayson, MD, Annals deputy editor and fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) said.

"When dust mites from the mother and child's mattresses were examined, children with high dust mite exposure yet low bacteria exposure were more likely to be allergic to dust mites than those with low mite exposure and high bacteria contact," the researcher added.

The study was published in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.