Eating disorders during pregnancy may increase the risk of asthma and wheezing in young children… regardless of the specific eating disorder, whether the mother also has depression or anxiety or when the child was exposed.Researchers analyzed data from more than 131,000 mothers and children across seven European birth cohorts.Rates of eating disorders before pregnancy varied widely, from about 1% to as high as 17%.Overall, maternal eating disorders were associated with a 25% higher risk of preschool wheeze and a 26% higher risk of school-age asthma.Both anorexia and bulimia were linked to increased asthma risk, while preschool wheezing was more closely tied to bulimia.The results also showed no particular stage—before, during, or after pregnancy—stood out as a clear period of greater susceptibility.The study does not prove cause and effect, but the authors note:“Children born to mothers with [eating disorders] are at an increased risk of fetal growth restriction, prematurity, Caesarean delivery and low birth weight, which are all tied to respiratory health.”They say their findings highlight a need for maternal eating disorders to be included in routine maternal health screening.Source: ThoraxAuthor Affiliations: University of Turin, University Medical Centre, Erasmus MC,University of Copenhagen, University of Groningen, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, University of Bristol, Ludwig Maximillian University, German Center for Child and Adolescent Health, Norwegian Institute of Public HealthErasmus University RotterdamImperial College LondonBradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust .Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter