THURSDAY, Oct. 19, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Patients in an urban region with greater average exposure to nitrogen dioxide throughout pregnancy are more likely to experience preterm delivery, according to a study published online in the October issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Sara I. Jones, M.D., from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues examined the association between traffic-associated air pollution exposure in pregnancy and adverse perinatal outcomes. The analysis included 62,189 patients delivering a singleton infant (2013 through 2021) and with a nitrogen dioxide exposure measurement.

The researchers found that higher average nitrogen dioxide exposure throughout pregnancy was significantly associated with preterm birth (adjusted odds ratio, 1.94) and an increase in neonatal intensive care unit admissions, low birthweight infants, neonatal respiratory diagnoses, neonatal respiratory support, and neonatal sepsis evaluation. For nulliparous patients and spontaneous preterm birth, this relationship persisted, with an even greater association seen with earlier preterm birth.

“As the association between ambient air pollution, preterm birth, and adverse neonatal outcomes strengthens, the development of environmental policies aimed at improving air quality becomes increasingly important,” the authors write.

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