Exposure to Stress and Air Pollution from Bushfires during Pregnancy: Could Epigenetic Changes Explain Effects on the Offspring?
Vanessa E MurphyWilfried J J KarmausJoerg MattesBronwyn K BrewAdam M CollisonElizabeth HollidayMegan E JensenGeoffrey G MorganGraeme R ZoskyVanessa Marie McDonaldEdward JegasothyPaul D RobinsonPeter G GibsonPublished in: International journal of environmental research and public health (2021)
Due to climate change, bushfires are becoming a more frequent and more severe phenomenon which contributes to poor health effects associated with air pollution. In pregnancy, environmental exposures can have lifelong consequences for the fetus, but little is known about these consequences in the context of bushfire smoke exposure. In this review we summarise the current knowledge in this area, and propose a potential mechanism linking bushfire smoke exposure in utero to poor perinatal and respiratory outcomes in the offspring. Bushfire smoke exposure is associated with poor pregnancy outcomes including reduced birth weight and an increased risk of prematurity. Some publications have outlined the adverse health effects on young children, particularly in relation to emergency department presentations and hospital admissions for respiratory problems, but there are no studies in children who were exposed to bushfire smoke in utero. Prenatal stress is likely to occur as a result of catastrophic bushfire events, and stress is known to be associated with poor perinatal and respiratory outcomes. Changes to DNA methylation are potential epigenetic mechanisms linking both smoke particulate exposure and prenatal stress to poor childhood respiratory health outcomes. More research is needed in large pregnancy cohorts exposed to bushfire events to explore this further, and to design appropriate mitigation interventions, in this area of global public health importance.
Keyphrases
- pregnancy outcomes
- air pollution
- dna methylation
- pregnant women
- public health
- climate change
- emergency department
- human health
- gene expression
- birth weight
- mental health
- healthcare
- stress induced
- high fat diet
- particulate matter
- preterm birth
- weight gain
- physical activity
- young adults
- genome wide
- metabolic syndrome
- gestational age
- early onset
- health information
- cystic fibrosis
- drug induced
- body mass index
- weight loss
- glycemic control