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Asthma in Pregnancy

To identify the key insights or developments described in this article
1 Credit CME

Asthma is a common medical condition that is estimated to affect 8.4% to 8.8% of pregnant individuals.1 Uncontrolled asthma during pregnancy has been associated with adverse outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth weight, and preeclampsia. Asthma exacerbations during pregnancy may result in presentation to the emergency department, hospitalization for treatment of exacerbations, and, rarely, death. In individuals who have known asthma at pregnancy, recent data revealed that 60% of them had no change in their asthma during pregnancy but 40% had worsening of their symptoms; no individuals had improvement in their asthma.2 This finding differs from the previous observation that one-third of patients experience improvement, one-third have no change, and one-third have worsening of symptoms. For some patients, the initial diagnosis of asthma can also be made during pregnancy.

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Article Information

Corresponding Author: Jenny Huang, MD, Department of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, Scripps Clinic Mission Valley, 7565 Mission Valley Rd, San Diego, CA 92108 (huang.jenny@scrippshealth.org).

Published Online: May 26, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.5588

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

References
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Kwon  HL , Triche  EW , Belanger  K , Bracken  MB .  The epidemiology of asthma during pregnancy: prevalence, diagnosis, and symptoms.   Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2006;26(1):29-62. doi:10.1016/j.iac.2005.11.002PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
2.
Stevens  DR , Perkins  N , Chen  Z ,  et al.  Determining the clinical course of asthma in pregnancy.   J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2022;10(3):793-802.e10. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2021.09.048PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
3.
Powell  H , Murphy  VE , Taylor  DR ,  et al.  Management of asthma in pregnancy guided by measurement of fraction of exhaled nitric oxide: a double-blind, randomised controlled trial.   Lancet. 2011;378(9795):983-990. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60971-9PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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Dado  CD , Levinson  AT , Bourjeily  G .  Pregnancy and pulmonary embolism.   Clin Chest Med. 2018;39(3):525-537. doi:10.1016/j.ccm.2018.04.007PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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Palmsten  K , Schatz  M , Chan  PH , Johnson  DL , Chambers  CD .  Validation of the Pregnancy Asthma Control Test.   J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2016;4(2):310-5.e1. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2015.11.019PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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Koo  SM , Kim  Y , Park  C ,  et al.  Effect of pregnancy on quantitative medication use and relation to exacerbations in asthma.   Biomed Res Int. 2017;2017:8276190. doi:10.1155/2017/8276190PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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Namazy  JA , Schatz  M , eds.  Asthma, Allergic and Immunologic Diseases During Pregnancy: A Guide to Management. Springer Nature; 2019. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-03395-8
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Reddel  HK , Bacharier  LB , Bateman  ED ,  et al.  Global Initiative for Asthma Strategy 2021: executive summary and rationale for key changes.   Eur Respir J. 2021;59(1):2102730.Google Scholar
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Murphy  VE , Clifton  VL , Gibson  PG .  Asthma exacerbations during pregnancy: incidence and association with adverse pregnancy outcomes.   Thorax. 2006;61(2):169-176. doi:10.1136/thx.2005.049718PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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Ali  Z , Ulrik  CS .  Incidence and risk factors for exacerbations of asthma during pregnancy.   J Asthma Allergy. 2013;6:53-60.Google Scholar
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Credit Designation Statement: The American Medical Association designates this Journal-based CME activity activity for a maximum of 1.00  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to:

  • 1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;;
  • 1.00 Self-Assessment points in the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s (ABOHNS) Continuing Certification program;
  • 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;
  • 1.00 Lifelong Learning points in the American Board of Pathology’s (ABPath) Continuing Certification program; and
  • 1.00 credit toward the CME [and Self-Assessment requirements] of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program

It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.

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