Abstract #0571

The Effect of Maternal Smoking on Fetal Organ Growth

Devasuda Anblagan¹, Nia W. Jones², Alexander J. Parker³, George Bugg², Carolyn Costigan¹, Ruta Deshpande², Lucy Coyne⁴, Rosanne Aleong⁵, Neil Roberts⁶, Zdenka Pausova⁷,⁸, Nick Raine Fenning⁹, Tomas Paus⁵,¹⁰, Penny A. Gowland¹

¹Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom; ²Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom; ³University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom; ⁴Liverpool Women's Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom; ⁵Rotman Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; ⁶Clinical Research and Imaging Centre, Queens Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; ⁷Research Institute of the Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; ⁸Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; ⁹School of Clinical Sciences, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom; ¹⁰School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom

Cigarette smoke contains two main compounds: carbon monoxide and nicotine; both cross the placenta into the fetus where they reach levels exceeding those found in the maternal circulation. This has been associated with miscarriage, placenta abruption, placenta praevia, low birth weight and perinatal mortality. In the long-term, maternal smoking during pregnancy appears to increase the probability of respiratory disorders, obesity and behavioral problems. This work studies the effect of maternal smoking on the growth of fetal organs and shows that fetal lungs, kidneys and brain volumes are reduced by maternal smoking during pregnancy.