Continued Use of Asthma Medication During Pregnancy Keeps Wheezing at Bay

Asthma affects 8% to 9% of pregnant women; however, whether asthma's severity changes during pregnancy is unclear. A total of 641 asthmatic women who were recruited from community obstetricians and prenatal clinics were interviewed at gestational weeks 16, 20, 28, and 36 and postpartum. Based on their asthma symptoms and medication use, participants were classified according to Global Initiative for Asthma (GIA) categories as intermittent or mild, moderate, or severe persistent. Most women (58%) had intermittent asthma; 20% had mild persistent asthma, and 22% had moderate or severe persistent asthma.

None of the patient characteristics that were analyzed (e.g., age, body-mass index [BMI], parity) were significant risk factors for worsening a…