Pregnant women are more susceptible to respiratory infections linked to viruses and air pollution would increase their risk of suffering from them. Flu vaccination is recommended.
- Pregnant women are more at risk of being infected with respiratory viruses.
- This is due to changes in the immune system related to pregnancy, but other factors can contribute.
- According to a new study, exposure to fine particles makes pregnant women more vulnerable to these viruses.
Pregnancy makes you vulnerable to viruses, especially the flu. “Pregnancy leads to a modification of immunity, it increases the risk of bacterial infection with the possible occurrence of pulmonary and cardiac complications: hospitalizations are up to 7 times more frequent in pregnant women than in a population of the same age.explains theHealth Insurance. American researchers have looked at factors that may contribute to increasing the risk of viral infections in pregnant women. According to their findings, published in Particle and Fiber Toxicology, air pollution is among the elements that can increase the risk of viral infection in pregnant women, including influenza A virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and SARS-CoV-2. The authors of this study point out that the physiological factors explaining the susceptibility of pregnant women to viral infections are already known. They cite in particular the increase in cardiac output, the decrease in tidal volume, the amount of air that enters or leaves the lungs with each respiratory cycle, and changes in the immune system.
Pregnancy and flu: a study on mice to understand the impact of air pollution
“We know that air pollution affects the lung immune system, making individuals more susceptible to viral infectionsrecalls Dr. Natalie Johnson, professor at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health. We also know that pregnant women are already at increased risk of severe flu. Surprisingly, scientific studies have not looked at the combined effects of pregnancy, air pollution and the flu.”
To better understand them, American scientists conducted a study on mice. The lab animals were exposed to fine particles daily during the gestation period, then the researchers infected them with influenza-like viruses. “Our mouse model provides several lines of evidence supporting increased susceptibility to influenza infection due to gestational exposure to fine particles.”, they observe. These different evidences were reduced weight gain, high viral load and an absence of classic immune response.
Influenza: vaccination is effective in protecting pregnant women
“Our results demonstrate the need to further study these interactions to prevent short- and possibly long-term impacts on maternal health.”, conclude the authors. They also recall that vaccination is a technique “safe and effective” to protect pregnant women from influenza. However, less than 50% of pregnant women would use it according to them. “It is imperative that pregnant women in urban cities, where influenza and fine particles are more prevalent, receive vaccines and preventative measures.”, they say. In France, the High Authority for Health has recommended vaccination against influenza in pregnant women, regardless of the trimester of pregnancy, since 2012.
