Magnesium sulfate may cut cerebral palsy risk in preemies

Tag : magnesium

Sat, Aug 30 04:35 PM
Washington, Aug 30 (ANI): Premature babies are 50 pct less likelyto develop cerebral palsy if their mothers are given magnesiumsulfate at the time of childbirth, suggests a new study.
Magnesium sulfate is traditionally used in obstetrics to stoppremature labour and prevent seizures in women with hypertension.
In the new study involving 2,240 women, who were likely to givebirth more than two months premature, the researchers found thatadministering magnesium sulfate administered to women deliveringbefore 32 weeks of gestation reduced the risk of cerebral palsy by50 percent.
During the Beneficial Effects of Antenatal Magnesium Sulfate (BEAM)trial, half of the women intravenously received magnesium sulfatewhile the other half received a placebo.
The children, born to the women in the study were then examined attwo-years-old
The findings revealed that the children in the magnesium group were50 percent less likely to develop cerebral palsy compared tochildren in the placebo group.
"This is a substantial breakthrough in maternal fetal medicinethat could positively impact the health of thousands ofbabies," said Alan Peaceman, MD, chair of the Division ofMaternal Fetal Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital,professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the NorthwesternUniversity Feinberg School of Medicine, and an investigator in thestudy.
"After 10 years of studying the effects of magnesium sulfate,it has proven to be a successful method of reducing the outcome ofcerebral palsy in premature births.
"Based on results of the study, in the future it is possiblethat women at risk of prematurely giving birth could proactivelyreceive magnesium sulfate to reduce their child's chances ofdeveloping cerebral palsy," he added.
The study is published in the August 28 issue of the New EnglandJournal of Medicine. (ANI)