BMJ  2007;334:652 (31 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.39164.411400.1F

Letters

Asthma in pregnancy

Attacks seem rare in labour

The first 100% of the full text of this article appears below.

I was concerned to read that 10-20% of women experience an exacerbation of asthma during labour.1 In 40 years' practice as an obstetric physician, I never saw an attack of asthma in labour; and nor have other obstetricians and respiratory physicians that I have questioned at conferences. I wonder if any of the BMJ's readers have personal experience of managing asthma attacks in labour? This is important because women with asthma are very frightened of not being able to cope with asthma at delivery. Up to now I have reassured patients that this is very unlikely to be a problem.

Michael de Swiet, emeritus professor of obstetric medicine

London N6 5LU

m.deswiet@imperial.ac.uk

Competing interests: None declared.

  1. Rey E, Boulet L-P. Asthma in pregnancy. BMJ 2007;334:582-5. (17 March.)[CrossRef][Medline]

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Relevant Article

Asthma in pregnancy
Evelyne Rey and Louis-Philippe Boulet
BMJ 2007 334: 582-585. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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