Maternal Smoking and Tics/Tourettes Study

[myrose]

I found this last night during my nightly research......I smoked from age 22 to 32. I had Gianna when I was 35. My husband never smoked. My mother on the other hand was a heavy smoker for as long as I can rememeber. She was given cigarettes while in labor to help calm her! Can you believe that one. I guess back then it was really different and the effects of smoking were not known as they are today.

I wonder now if I had anything to do with my daughter getting these tics. How suicital could one feel!

I also wonder why I never had issues with my Mom smoking through pregnancy nor my brother.

Has anyone read about this before?

 

here is the article below:

 

 

 

 

 

Women who smoke during pregnancy appear to have a very strong risk of having a child with severe symptoms of Tourette's syndrome and the risk of having obsessive-compulsive disorder is also increased in these children.

Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder that develops in childhood or adolescence in which patients have involuntary tics involving sudden movements or vocalizations that are rapidly repeated. The symptoms usually occur several times a day, every day or intermittently and are usually mild, but can be severe.

 

The condition is believed be to associated with many genetic and environmental factors, Dr. Carol A. Mathews and her associates note. While few studies have examined the role of environmental factors, there are suggestions that incidents before or just after birth, as well as the mother's prenatal habits, effect the development of the disorder, its severity, and the risk of having another neurologic condition.

 

Mathews, from the University of California in San Francisco, and her team hypothesized that reductions in oxygen in the womb, a known effect of smoking, could increase the risk of developing Tourette's syndrome in those with a genetic susceptibility.

 

To test this theory, the research team evaluated members of three groups of people with the syndrome, which included 53 individuals from Costa Rica, 99 individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, and 28 who had a sibling with the syndrome. The subjects' ages ranged from 3 to 59 years, but 60 percent were younger than 14 when they were interviewed.

 

The investigators report in the American Journal of Psychiatry that the average tic severity score was 38.6 out of a possible 50.

 

The presence of obsessive-compulsive disorder and self-injurious behavior was strongly associated with tic severity. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder was also associated with tics, but the association was not as strong as were the other two disorders.

 

More than half of the subjects reported at least one adverse event that occurred before or shortly after birth, but these were generally similar to that in the general population. Parental factors also did not seem to affect risk.

 

However, after accounting for the effect of patient group, gender and family history, maternal smoking was significantly associated with total tick and vocal tic severity. In fact, statistical calculations showed that maternal smoking accounted for 42 percent of the variance in tic severity.

 

Maternal smoking was also associated with an eight-fold increased risk of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

 

The researchers suggest that the association between smoking and tic severity and obsessive-compulsive disorder is evidence that chronic oxygen deprivation during fetal development increases the risk. However, they cannot rule out the possibility that maternal smoking is an indicator of another factor associated with the syndrome that has yet to be uncovered, such as socioeconomic status or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in one or both of the parents.

[P_Mom]

For what it is worth, (we are PANDAS), but, I have never been a smoker.

[CSP]

No smoking on my end either.

 

Funny my husband said smoking when he was a teen helped his tics. Dipping helped too.

 

C.P.

[faith]

I have never smoked either.

 

Interesting that there is actually an article about that, but you know, from my point of view, they blame EVERYTHING on smoking, so don't really know how much weight to give it. I mean I think there are probably many, many conditions that are considered at an increased risk due to maternal smoking.

 

Faith

[Chemar]

non smoker since my early 20s

 

had kids in my mid 30s

 

also

 

as much as I dont recommend nasty nicotine to anyone,ever, it is documented and TSA research funded that it does reduce tics. Some people with TS use nicotine patches

[tlkinser]

I have never been a smoker, but I did find this quote interesting:

 

"Mathews, from the University of California in San Francisco, and her team hypothesized that reductions in oxygen in the womb, a known effect of smoking, could increase the risk of developing Tourette's syndrome in those with a genetic susceptibility."

 

As I've mentioned before, I have antiphospholipid syndrome and lupus anticoagulant, both of which cause recurrent miscarriages due to blood clotting. The clotting would affect the amt of oxygen in the womb so possibly it would have the same effect as a smoker. ?? I'm guessing here... help, Kim!! I have seen signs of tics and/or OCD in all three of my children with my son being the worst. I was able to carry my three children to term with blood thinners- heparin, lovenox, and baby aspirin but was always high risk and monitored very closely.

 

Thank you for the article. Just something else for me to think about...

 

tlk

[bmom]

I was thinking the same thing. I was wondering if the Factor V could have caused a lack of oxygen. I am not a smoker either. I sure hope Dr. Carol Mathews is up on PANDAS too as we are off to see her in a couple of weeks!!!!

[Chemar]

ps my husband's mom was a very heavy smoker and back then (1946 when he was born) she smoked thru pregnancy and around him as an infant ):

 

and yes, I dont recall anymore where I saw it but I did once read an article on hypoxia in the womb causing all kinds of problems

[kim]

tlk,

 

moved response to the bony tumor thread. Should have named that something different

[patty]

Jasminky,

 

Interesting article but i question its validity. And most importantly do now beat yourself up for smoking! Your smoking may not have anything to do with your daughter's tics. The important thing is that you're proactive about what to do now.

 

I have been in your shoes, thinking that my son's tics has everything to do with me and it drove me insane and suicidial. It took me awhile to pick myself up so i can continue to find ways to help my son. It is best to move forward than to go back and question where it comes from, unless there is genetic TS or tics as it can help bring some closure and understanding. It is too easy to start blaming yourself or your husband and create more hurt than it is already is.

 

BTW, we are not smokers.

 

Pat

[jewels]

Hello,

 

We have had alot of press stories in the UK about how smoking and drinking could be linked to various child disorders like autism, adhd etc. All these reports I feel have been timed just before Andrew Wakefield is to go before the GMC.

 

I feel the medical body and governments are trying to focus our attention away from vaccines and our childrens underdeveloped immune systems.

 

Has there ever been a study into the increase of tic disorders, PANDAS and OCD since the introduction of vaccines, especially containing mercury. I was given two ANTI-D vaccines when I was pregnant with my DD. I wonder just how much mercury we had!!!!!!!!!

 

Jules

[CSP]

jewels,

 

In Keven Trudeau's book, he says "Before 1988 only 1 in 2500 American children had Autism. Today 1 in 166 has Autism. (WOW)

 

He also quotes Robert kennedy Jr's findings and a transcript he has from a meeting in Georgia in 2000, "Its the most horrifing thing you can read. Scientists from the government who say there is no way we can deny this. These vaccines are absolutely dangerous. I am not going to give it to my children, but we have to hide this from the American public."

 

"Acording to the EPA guidlines you have to weigh 275lb to safely absorb the amount of poison in the hepatitis B shot all children are given."

 

Kim might have already mentioned this in her many vaccine posts, Info comes also from a Fox TV show Scarborough Counrty.

 

C.P.

[lurker]

WARNING: I am going to rant.

 

I got a really strong sense of "Mommy blame" from this study. Even the language suggested it -- "maternal smoking" was repeatedly used instead of "fetal exposure." I know that ultimately they pointed to lack of oxygen, but seriously, previous generations of mothers smoked more and prenatal care is so superior now. This should indicate decreasing rates.

 

It used to be thought that overbearing mothers caused kids to have tics (and autism). Now its mothers who smoke. I think that the link is genetic. "Overbearing" indicates OCD, not environmental influence, and some smokers are self-medicating for ADHD.

 

My mother smoked, and I don't have tics. I have never smoked, and my son has them. When my mother started smoking, doctors were appearing in cigarette ads. Our local 50's Cafe has some of the old print ads on the walls. They say things like, "4 out of 5 doctors recommend . . . " One even features a former President of the United States.

 

I can only imagine that in 40 years our children will read things like "Mothers who vaccinated their children . . ." and "Mothers who allowed their children to eat Cheetos and other synthetically colored preserved foods . . ." As for the PANDAS moms, I don't know how they will blame you, but I am confident that they will find a way.

[kim]

Had to send this along...gee I'm glad and reassured the CDC is on this

 

The Next Big Autism Bomb: Are 1 in 50 Kids Potentially At Risk?

by David Kirby

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/...mb_b_93627.html

Posted March 26, 2008 | 09:30 PM (EST)

Read More: Autism, Autism Mitochondria, Autism Thimerosal, Autism

Vaccine Mercury, Autism Vaccines, Breaking Living News

 

On Tuesday, March 11, a conference call was held between vaccine

safety officials at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

several leading experts in vaccine safety research, and executives

from America's Health Insurance Plans, (the HMO trade association) to

discuss childhood mitochondrial dysfunction and its potential link to

autism and vaccines.

[Hope]

Non-smokers at this house!