August 1, 2007 (Insidermedicine) As we all know, smoking is bad for your health; it can cause lung cancer, emphysema and increase the risk of blindness. But smoking while pregnant can not only harm mothers, but also can harm babies.

Here are some important things that we know about smoking during pregnancy :

•    It is known to lead to stunting of growth in the womb and may result in the birth of a small baby,
•    It can cause labor to start much earlier, resulting in a baby being born prematurely
•    It raises the risk of problems at the time of delivery.

Now new research from the Netherlands also links smoking to high blood pressure in babies.

To perform their study, the scientists studied over 450 babies. All of the babies were chosen because either their mothers or fathers smoked.  The researchers measured the blood pressure of the babies and compared it to the blood pressure of another group of babies whose parents did not smoke.

The researchers showed that the average baby who had been exposed to smoking while developing had a significantly higher blood pressure than those whose parents did not smoke. The study also confirmed that babies born to smokers are smaller and shorter than those born to non-smokers.

Interestingly, the effects of smoking on babies blood pressure was more pronounced in boys.

One of the reasons that the results are important is that high blood pressure in babies may predict for high blood pressure in later life. And high blood pressure can raise the risk for stroke and heart disease.

If you are thinking of getting pregnant, it is extremely important that you quit smoking and stay away from others who smoke during your pregnancy. Again, smoking makes it more likely that your baby will be smaller, that you will deliver a baby that is not fully mature, and as this study shows- that your baby is more likely to have high blood pressure.

For Insidermedicine In Depth, I’m Dr. Susan Sharma.