International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Smokers who develop pre-eclampsia during pregnancy risk suffering further complications associated with the disorder.

The study, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, suggests that once pre-eclampsia develops, smoking exacerbates the risk of complications, according to Elizabeth Miller and researchers at the Ottawa Hospital in Canada, reports Reuters.

Past studies have actually linked smoking during pregnancy to a reduced risk of suffering from pre-eclampsia.

In the study, researchers examined more than 300,000 births between 2004 and 2006.

Among women with pre-eclampsia, smokers were more likely to have serious complications from the condition.

Some nine per cent of smokers had a baby who was small for gestational age, compared with five per cent of non-smokers who had pre-eclampsia.

Just over three per cent of women with pre-eclampsia who smoke suffered placental abruption, compared to just 0.7 per cent of non-smokers.

According to the BBC, every year in the UK, around ten women die from pre-eclampsia. It also accounts for the deaths of around 1,000 babies.

Pre-eclampsia mildly affects one in ten pregnancies and causes serious complications in one in 50 gestations.

Posted by Alexandra George