Active maternal smoking during pregnancy is an important risk factor for which condition in infants?

• A. Congenital heart disease
• B. Respiratory distress syndrome
• C. Sudden infant death syndrome
• D. Neonatal jaundice

Answer: (C)

Maternal smoking during pregnancy primarily increases the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Nicotine and carbon monoxide from tobacco impair fetal oxygen delivery and placental function, and nicotine can disrupt the infant’s autonomic regulation of breathing and arousal during sleep. This combination makes sleep-related breathing struggles more likely to go uncorrected, which is a hallmark of SIDS. While smoking is also linked to other issues like low birth weight and respiratory problems, the strong, well-established association in this context is with SIDS. Quitting smoking during pregnancy or avoiding tobacco exposure after birth helps lower this risk.