Effect of smoking on the hematopoietic stem cell count in cord blood Effect of smoking on the hematopoietic stem cell

Aim: The risk of undesirable and harmful effects of the negative environmental factors on fetal development during pregnancy has been extensively established. Smoking during pregnancy has been considered one of the important modifiable risk factors. Studies have shown that the hematopoietic stem cell content and the number of colony-forming units in cord blood obtained from pregnant women who smoke are low. The present study aimed to determine the rate of smoking among women who presented to our center to receive autologous cord blood banking services in Turkey. The study also aimed to compare the CD34+ hematopoietic stem cell counts in smoker and non-smoker cord blood donors. Materials and Methods: This study is a cross-sectional and retrospective study. The product files of the first 1000 pregnant women who presented to our center for autologous cord blood donation and whose cord blood was procured for permanent storage were retrospectively analyzed. The SPSS 21.0 software package was used for statistical analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. An independent two-sample test was used between the groups for comparing cord blood volumes, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparing CD34 cell counts. Results: The rate of smoking among pregnant women who presented to receive cord blood banking services was 0.22%, with the mean CD34. cell counts being 2.0 x 106 and 2.6 x 106 in smokers and non-smokers, respectively. Moreover, the mean cord blood volumes were 81.3 and 85.1 mL in smokers and non-smokers, respectively. Discussion: In Turkey, the rate of smoking behavior was low among those who applied to receive autologous cord blood banking services, and actual nationwide rates of smoking could be demonstrated using larger study groups if other centers also provide their results. The hematopoietic stem cell content of cord blood obtained from pregnant women who were smokers was lower than that obtained from non-smokers.