Adverse Maternal Outcomes in Nevada: Does Asthma Matter?

Objective. Asthma is a common clinical complication of pregnancy and women with asthma are at greater risk of having complications. This study compared adverse maternal outcomes between women with asthma and women without asthma in Nevada. Methods. A total of 64,664 hospital discharges of delivery were abstracted from the Nevada 2003-2004 hospital discharges and thirteen adverse maternal outcomes were examined. Logistic regression was applied to compare the maternal outcomes between women with and without asthma. Results. Women with asthma were more likely to have pre-eclampsia (OR [CI] 1.73 [1.13, 2.65]), transient hypertension of pregnancy (OR [CI] 1.76 [1.11, 2.78]), pregnancy-induced hypertension (OR [CI] 1.89 [1.42, 2.53]), gestational diabetes (OR [CI] 1.89 [1.32, 2.72]), infection of the amniotic cavity (OR [CI] 2.15 [1.29, 3.58]), and cesarean section (OR [CI] 1.87 [1.56, 2.23] ). Conclusion. Women with asthma experienced a greater risk of having adverse maternal outcomes. Community-based education programs, as well as, services offered in traditional healthcare settings should be supported to educate pregnant women about the potential risk factors and the relationship between asthma and maternal outcomes.