Outcomes and complications of asthma in pregnancy
Although women with mild asthma are unlikely to have problems, patients with severe asthma are at greater risk of deterioration. The deterioration risk is highest in the last portion of a pregnancy.
In fact, severe and/or poorly controlled asthma has been associated with numerous adverse perinatal outcomes, including the following:
Preeclampsia
Pregnancy-induced hypertension
Uterine hemorrhage
Preterm labor
Premature birth
Congenital anomalies
Fetal growth restriction
Low birth weight
Neonatal hypoglycemia, seizures, tachypnea, and neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) admission
This risk of giving birth to a small or preterm infant appears to be small and may be minimized by good control of asthma. Studies have indicated that low-birth-weight infants are more common in women with daily symptoms or low expiratory flow than in women without asthma.
Asthma can also lead to the following morbidities in pregnant women:
Respiratory failure and the need for mechanical ventilation
Barotrauma
Complications of (parenteral) steroid use
Death can also occur.