Content area
Full Text
The betel nut, composed of the sliced nut of the areca palm (areca nut), the leaf of the betel pepper (Piper betle ), and lime, is a drug commonly consumed by Asian populations and Asian communities living in Europe and North America. 1
Some authors have reported a significantly higher prevalence of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including spontaneous abortion, low birth weight, and preterm birth, 2 among women who chewed betel quid during gestation than in non-consumers. However, none hypothesised chronic exposure of the fetus to arecoline (the principal alkaloid of the areca nut) as a possible mechanism.
To investigate if chronic exposure to arecoline can lead to adverse birth outcomes, some not yet recognised, we set up a clinical observational study on six newborns from Asian mothers who admitted to betel nut consumption during pregnancy.
Pregnant women, recruited within the framework of the Meconium Project at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona Spain, had a complete clinical examination and were interviewed about their use of cigarettes and illicit drugs during pregnancy. At the time of delivery, newborn somatometry and clinical signs were recorded.
Arecoline concentration was determined in meconium to assess fetal exposure to this alkaloid and in the placenta, to be associated with studies on the morphology of placental tissue from consumer mothers. 3,