Hi All,
Here is more evidence that cerebral palsy is not caused by a difficult birth
but by a viral infection earlier in the pregnancy.
Fetal Exposure to Neurotropic Viruses Linked to Cerebral Palsy
Reuters Health Information 2006. © 2006 Reuters Ltd.
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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 05 - The presence of nucleic acids from
neurotropic viruses in the blood of newborns is associated with cerebral
palsy and preterm birth, Australian investigators report.
Intrauterine exposure to viruses is postulated to be an important factor in
the development of cerebral palsy, mediated either by direct infection or
fetal inflammatory response, Dr. Catherine S. Gibson, at the University of
Adelaide, and her associates in the South Australian Cerebral Palsy Research
Group note.
Subjects of their study, reported this week in BMJ Online First, included
all children with cerebral palsy born between 1986 and 1999 in South
Australia to white mothers and 883 randomly selected control infants.
Blood samples taken at birth from the infants were tested for herpes simplex
virus (HSV)-1, HSV-2, varicella zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus,
cytomegalovirus, human herpes viruses (HHV)-6, HHV-7, and HHV-8, and members
of the Enterovirus family.
In the control group, CMV was the most prevalent virus (26.7%). Some of
those infected with CMV were also positive for herpes group B (3.1%) and
herpes group A viruses (1.1%).
Dr. Gibson's group observed that CMV was significantly more prevalent in the
247 control infants born before 37 weeks' gestation than in the term infants
(odds ratio 1.57, p < 0.01). The same trend was observed for the presence of
any herpes virus (odds ratio 1.43).
They also found a significant association between any viral exposure and
cerebral palsy at all gestational ages compared with control subjects (odds
ratio 1.30). The relationship was most marked for detection of herpes group
B (odds ratio 1.68).
Based on these findings, the authors suggest that "exposure late in
gestation may not result in preterm birth, instead having direct effects on
the brain, whereas exposure early in gestation may result in preterm birth
but increase the risk of neuropathology associated with prematurity."
The high prevalence of exposure to viral infection in the control infants
suggests that cofactors may be required before brain damage occurs, they
add, such as genetic susceptibility to infection or disruption of the
placental or blood-brain barrier.
BMJ Online First 2006.
Leanne Wynne
Midwife in charge of "Women's Business"
Mildura Aboriginal Health Service Mob 0418 371862
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