Developmental follow-up in 15-month-old infants of asthmatic vs. control mothers

The purpose of this study was to evaluate mental and psychomotor developmen t in infants of mothers whose asthma was actively managed during pregnancy and to compare the results with those froms infants of non-asthmatic mother s. Bayley Scales were assessed at age 15 +/- 3 months in 379 infants of ast hmatic mothers and 376 control infants. Relationships were assessed between developmental indices and asthma severity, socioeconomic status, and infan t prematurity. No significant differences in developmental indices were obs erved between infants of asthmatic mothers and control infants. No relation ships were identified between developmental indices and maternal asthma sev erity. In the infants of both asthmatic and control mothers, a lower mean p sychomotor developmental index was associated with birth weight <2,500 g, a nd a lower mental developmental index with lower socioeconomic status. Henc e, infants of asthmatic mothers whose asthma has been actively managed duri ng pregnancy have developmental outcomes at 15 months of age that are simil ar to those of control infants.