Research indicates that the more colds and other viral infections a woman has during pregnancy, the more likely her child is to have asthma. The more colds and other viral infections a woman has during pregnancy, the more likely her child is to have asthma, researchers report. The new study included 513 pregnant women in Germany and their 526 babies. The mothers completed questionnaires during pregnancy, when the children were 3 months old, 12 months old and every year until the children reached age 5. The researchers concluded that a mother’s level of exposure to viral infections and bacteria during pregnancy affect the environment in the womb, and therefore the baby’s risk of developing asthma and allergies 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 5,” journal deputy editor Dr Mitch Grayson said in a journal news release. Children affected before birth: “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,” he added. Of the families in the study, 61% had a parent with asthma, hay fever or eczema. The study is published in the February issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology: Sabina Illi, Juliane Weber, Anne Zutavern, Jon Genuneit, Rudolf Schierl, Christine Strunz-Lehner, Erika von Mutius. Perinatal influences on the development of asthma and atopy in childhood. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Volume 112, Issue 2 , Pages 132-139.e1, February 2014

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