what they said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

Women who have an asthma attack during the first three months of pregnancy put their babies at a greater risk of birth defects than asthmatic mothers who did not have a flare-up during that period, a new Canadian study shows.

The research, published in next month's issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found that women who had uncontrolled asthma during this crucial period in fetal development were 48 per cent more likely to have a baby with at least one birth defect compared with those who were taking their medication...

The original article can be found at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080508.wasthma08/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080508.wasthma08

how did it rate? (more information)

what we said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

This article received a reduced score because it did not include a discussion of the treatment cost or the adverse effects of these asthma drugs on pregnant mothers and their children. In addition, the report did not present alternative treatment options that could be explored by asthmatic, expectant mothers.

While further details about who completed the study would be helpful for the readers, the evidence provided in the report included some very important remarks. Including the risk of birth defects in non-asthmatic women provided a necessary basis from which to interpret the study results and assess the treatment benefits.

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