Snus and pregnancy – a risky connection

Swedish smokeless tobacco, also known as “snus” is popular in the Nordic countries. However, use during pregnancy is not without risks.

Rune Becher and colleagues from NIOM, The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, NIPH, the Cancer Registry of Norway, University of Oslo, Oslo University Hospital, National Institute of Occupational Health, and VID specialized University, have conducted a systematic review of snus-related health risks during pregnancy and early life.

– All use of tobacco and nicotine products during pregnancy may increase the risk for adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes, and child health, says Becher.

The systematic review included 18 cohort studies, with 42 to 1 006 398 participants. The majority of the studies were based on data from the Swedish medical birth registry.

Adverse outcomes
– Based on the 18 studies we found that use of snus during pregnancy may have adverse effects on the unborn child as well as the newborn, says Becher.

The review observed that the use of snus during pregnancy might increase the risk of adverse outcomes such as stillbirth, premature birth, neonatal apnea and oral cleft malformations.

– Our meta-analysis on reduced birth weight showed that when the pregnant mothers used snus throughout pregnancy, this may lead to reduced birth weight of the newborn. In addition, an increased proportion of cesarean sections among pregnant woman using snus, has been reported, says Becher.

The risk of early neonatal mortality and altered heart rate variability in newborns of mothers who used snus during pregnancy, is uncertain.

– This is important to know for those planning to become pregnant or those that already are pregnant. Quitting early in pregnancy may reduce the risk for adverse effects, says Becher.

Photo by istock: It is important to know about these adverse health effects for those planning to become pregnant or those that already are pregnant. Quitting early in pregnancy may reduce the risk.

Reference:

Bendik C. Brinchmann, Gunn E. Vist, Rune Becher, Tom K. Grimsrud, Ida-Kristin Ørjasæter Elvsaas, Vigdis Underland, Jørn A. Holme, Karin C. Lødrup Carlsen, Ina Kreyberg, Live S. Nordhagen, Karen Eline Stensby Bains, Kai-Håkon Carlsen, Jan Alexander and Håkon Valen. Use of Swedish smokeless tobacco during pregnancy: a systematic review of pregnancy and early life health risk. Addiction, 2023; 1-15. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/add.16114

NIOM Newsletter August 2023