August 25, 2011 - When it comes to the effects of smoking, the most delicate time for a child’s genetic development is before birth. Exposure to tobacco smoke in utero is far more likely to cause severe asthma than exposure during the first two years of life, according to a new study from the University of California, San Francisco. Children with severe asthma were more than three times more likely to have been exposed to smoke before birth than kids with milder forms of the disease. A parallel study found that mothers who did not complete high school were more likely to smoke while pregnant. Consequently, low-income families have among the highest risks for asthma, but are least able to take time off work to care for a child with the illness. The lifelong disease causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. Nearly 14 percent of American women continue to smoke throughout pregnancy. Nationwide, the annual cost of asthma is estimated at about $56 billion in premature deaths, health care costs and missed work and school days.

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