Maternal occupational exposure to asthmogenic during pregnancy and the future risk of asthma in children: A meta-analysis

The association between maternal occupational exposure during pregnancy and the subsequent development of asthma in their children has always been a matter of debate, and the results of cohort studies on this issue have been controversial. The current study is the first systematic review and meta -analysis aimed at evaluating the risk of developing subsequent asthma in children based on maternal occupational exposure during the gestation period. To retrieve eligible studies, an advanced literature search was performed up to August 10, 2023 from the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholars. The title and abstract of related articles were screened; hence, the full texts were reviewed. Data extraction was conducted; hence, the included articles were analyzed to assess the mention association. From a total of 10 cohort studies with a total record of 5372, it was found that there is no significant relationship between occupational exposure to asthmogenic during pregnancy and later asthma in children. The pooled odds ratio of asthmatic children in patients with maternal occupational exposure to asthmogenic during pregnancy was 1.03 (95% confidence interval, 0.97-1.09) I 2 = 13% p=0.62. It was concluded that there is no significant association between maternal occupational exposure and future asthma in children. However, future large-scale studies are required to support these results.