The following is the summary of “Association of Prenatal C-Reactive Protein Levels With Childhood Asthma and Atopy” published in the December 2022 issue of Allergy and Clinical Immunology by  Chen, et al.

Asthma in children has a complicated origin, including prenatal exposure to risk factors. To explain how elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the mother’s plasma are linked to an increased risk of developing asthma, eczema, and hay fever in offspring. The Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial comprised a total of 522 mother-child couples. 

The levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the plasma of pregnant women were tested at 10-18 and 32-38 weeks of pregnancy. In addition, children were tested for asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis every 3 months from birth to the age of 6. To further investigate the role of prenatal CRP in the chain of causation between maternal factors and childhood asthma, we conducted mediation analyses. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for asthma at age 6 years was 1.76 (95% CI, 1.12-2.82) for elevated CRP in early pregnancy; 2.45 (95% CI, 1.47-4.18) for elevated CRP in late pregnancy; and 2.06 (95% CI, 1.26-3.39) for elevated CRP in both early and late pregnancy. Children with atopy were more likely to have a relationship between prenatal CRP and asthma as children (early: aOR, 3.78, 95% CI, 1.49-10.64, P=.008; late: aOR, 4.84, 95% CI, 1.68-15.50, P=.005; CRP increase: aOR, 3.01, 95% CI, 1.06-9.16, P=.04). 

The connection between a mother’s BMI before pregnancy and her child’s asthma was mediated by CRP both early and late in the pregnancy. Increases in CRP from early to late pregnancy and higher levels of prenatal CRP are linked to an increased risk of asthma in offspring. A child’s susceptibility to developing asthma may be affected by systemic inflammation during pregnancy, which is linked to maternal traits that can be changed.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S221321982200928X