Daily HealthBeat Tip

Smoking and birth defects

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I�m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Tobacco�s damage can begin before birth. One study finds women who reported smoking while they were pregnant were more likely to have a baby with a heart defect.

Sadia Malik of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences looked at defects that affect the heart�s structure or blood flow. She presented her findings at the American Heart Association�s 2006 Scientific Sessions. The study was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

Malik says smokers were 60 percent more likely than nonsmokers to have a child with a defect.

"The heart�s basic structure is developed very early in pregnancy, even when the woman does not know she�s pregnant. Therefore, we feel that there is no safe dose for smoking in pregnancy or when you are planning a pregnancy." (10 seconds)

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: November 15, 2006

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