Smoking During Pregnancy May Increase Baby's Eczema Risk

According to a study presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology's annual meeting, a mother's exposure to tobacco smoke during the last three months of pregnancy may increase the risk that her child will develop the allergic skin condition eczema during infancy. After examining 1,400 infants between 2 and 18 months of age, researchers found that eczema rates were significantly higher among children who had been exposed to smoke during their mother's third trimester than among children who had no smoke exposure.