Washington, October 04: Children born to mothers who have smoked during pregnancy are at a greater risk of developing psychotic symptoms in the long run, a new study finds.
Previous studies had reported that smoking harms both mother and the newborn, leading to the birth of smaller babies at an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome and heart defects.
According to the study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, children of smoking mothers are more prone to developing psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations.
The risk is reported to be 84 percent more pronounced in those born to mothers who smoked some 20 cigarettes or more a day during their pregnancy.
Exposure to tobacco in the womb is believed to affect the development of brain areas responsible for governing attention and cognition, leading to psychotic symptoms later on in the life.
Babies born to mothers who drank more than 22 units a day were also reported to be at a higher chance of experiencing psychotic episodes.
Scientists, therefore, urge individuals, particularly pregnant women, to quit smoking, adding that “Maternal smoking may be an important risk factor in the development of psychotic experiences in this population.”
—–Agencies