Common treatment to delay labor decreases preterm infants' risk for cerebral palsyAugust 28, 2008BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Intravenous magnesium sulfate supplementation before preterm delivery cuts the risk for handicapping cerebral palsy in half, according to research led by University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) obstetrician Dwight Rouse, M.D., and published in the Aug. 28 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. Cerebral palsy refers to a group of neurological disorders affecting control of movement and posture and limiting activity. The causes of cerebral palsy are not well understood, though cerebral palsy is attributed to brain injury or developmental abnormality during pregnancy, birth or in early childhood. It is estimated that cerebral palsy afflicts more than 200,000 Americans between the ages of 3 and 13, making it a leading cause of chronic childhood disability. Magnesium sulfate is given routinely to prevent seizures in women with preeclampsia and to stop preterm labor. Previous research suggested that fetal exposure to magnesium sulfate before preterm birth might reduce the risk of cerebral palsy.
"The association between magnesium sulfate and a lower incidence of cerebral palsy has biologic plausibility, because magnesium stabilizes blood vessels, protects against damage from oxygen depletion, and protects against injury from swelling and inflammation, all of which threaten the vulnerable preterm brain," Rouse said. "Our study is the largest, most comprehensive effort to evaluate the effect of magnesium sulfate on the incidence of cerebral palsy in preterm infants." Early preterm birth is a risk factor for cerebral palsy, and the magnitude of the risk rises the earlier a baby is born. During the past 20 to 30 years, the survival of infants born severely preterm has improved dramatically, and while some research suggests that the rate of cerebral palsy among the survivors of early preterm birth has decreased, other research suggests that it has not. Currently, approximately one of every three cases of cerebral palsy is associated with early preterm birth. This multicenter study, co-funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and conducted by the 20 participating research centers of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network, enrolled 2,241 women between Dec.1997 and March 2004. The women were randomly assigned to receive either placebo or magnesium sulfate. They all had similar characteristics, including gestational age (24 to 31 weeks) at randomization and risk factors for preterm birth. Eighty-seven percent of the women had experienced preterm membrane rupture. Those in the treatment group were given six grams of magnesium sulfate intravenously over 20 to 30 minutes, followed by two grams of magnesium sulfate every hour after that - until either 12 hours had passed, labor subsided or they had given birth. If the women in either group did not deliver within 12 hours, they were treated again if they went into labor by the 34th week of pregnancy. On follow up at two years of age, researchers found that babies born to women in the treatment group had a significantly lower rate of all forms of cerebral palsy, 4.2 percent vs. 7.3 percent, and of moderate or severe cerebral palsy, 1.9 percent vs. 3.5 percent. Children with moderate cerebral palsy cannot walk unaided, and those with severe cerebral palsy are profoundly disabled. "Our finding that magnesium sulfate protects against cerebral palsy is consistent with two previous randomized trials, both of which were well done and which in total enrolled over 1,600 women. Our trial and the two others show that magnesium sulfate can reduce the risk of this devastating condition in preterm infants. Until we can prevent early preterm birth, the best that we obstetricians can do is to improve the prospects for infants who are born very early. I think that our study says that magnesium sulfate can help us do that," Rouse said. University of Alabama at Birmingham Science News and Science Current Events Tag Cloud This tag cloud is a visual representation of term frequencies of random science news topics with common terms grouped together and emphasized by their display size. Sleep-disordered Breathing Intestinal Bacteria Syphilis Cancer Biotechnology Anthropology Sleep Apnea Angiogenesis Endometriosis Contact Lenses Brain Cancer Cancer Cells Myeloma Dialysis Ozone Layer Abdominal Pain Smoking cessation Drinking Water Viscosity Vitamin D Deficiency Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Dry Eye Syndrome Gene Silencing Growth Hormone Helicobacter pylori
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Related Cerebral Palsy Current Events and Cerebral Palsy News Articles New clue into how brain stem cells develop into cells which repair damaged tissue The joint research, funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the UK MS Society as well as the National Institutes of Health and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, was conducted by scientists at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and University of Cambridge and was published today (01 July) in the journal Genes and Development. MS study offers theory for why repair of brain's wiring fails Scientists have uncovered new evidence suggesting that damage to nerve cells in people with multiple sclerosis accumulates because the body's natural mechanism for repair of the nerve coating called "myelin" stalls out. Debate on administration of magnesium sulfate to pregnant women to prevent cerebral palsy in preterm infants Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most prevalent chronic childhood motor disability with an estimated lifetime cost of nearly $1 million per individual. MIT robotic therapy holds promise for cerebral palsy Over the past few years, MIT engineers have successfully tested robotic devices to help stroke patients learn to control their arms and legs. Now, they're building on that work to help children with cerebral palsy. Taking folic acid for a year before pregnancy may reduce risk of preterm birth Women who take folic acid supplements for at least one year before they become pregnant may cut their risk of having a premature baby by half, according to research published this week in the online journal, PLoS Medicine. UNC-Duke study: Impaired brain plasticity linked to Angelman syndrome learning deficits How might disruption of a single gene in the brain cause the severe cognitive deficits associated with Angelman syndrome, a neurogenetic disorder? Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and Duke University now believe they have the answer: impaired brain plasticity. Stunning finding: Compounds protect against cerebral palsy Two compounds developed by Northwestern University chemists have been shown to be effective in pre-clinical trials in protecting against cerebral palsy, a condition caused by neurodegeneration that affects body movement and muscle coordination. New study explores the relationship between preterm birth and autism spectrum disorder Recent studies have suggested that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be more prevalent among children born very prematurely. The early symptoms of ASD are also associated with other conditions related to preterm births, such as cerebral palsy, which can make it difficult to correctly screen children for ASD. Preterm births rise 36 percent since early 1980s New government statistics confirm that the decades-long rise in the United States preterm birth rate continues, putting more infants than ever at increased risk of death and disability. Late preterm births present serious risks to newborns More than half a million babies are born preterm in the United States each year, and preterm births are on the rise. Late preterm births, or births that occur between 34 and 36 weeks (approximately 4 to 6 weeks before the mother's due date), account for more than 70% of preterm births. More Cerebral Palsy Current Events and Cerebral Palsy News Articles |
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