To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Magnesium Sulfate Reduces the Risk of Cerebral Palsy in Preterm Infants URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/22A1D2.htm Doctor's Guide August 28, 2008
BETHESDA, Md -- August 28, 2008 -- Preterm infants born to mothers receiving intravenous magnesium sulfate are less likely to develop cerebral palsy than are preterm infants whose mothers do not receive it, according to a study published in the August 28 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. "A third of all cases of cerebral palsy are associated with preterm birth," said Elias A. Zerhouni, MD, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. "This study shows a significant reduction in cerebral palsy among preterm infants whose mothers were given magnesium sulfate." The researchers theorised that magnesium sulfate protects against cerebral palsy because it can stabilise blood vessels, protect against damage from oxygen depletion, and protect against injury from swelling and inflammation. Women at the 20 participating Institute of Child Health and Human Development's (NICHD) Maternal Fetal Medicine Unit Network sites were eligible to participate. The women were 24 to 31 weeks pregnant and at risk for preterm delivery. When the women went into labour, they were randomised to receive intravenously a solution of either magnesium sulfate or a placebo. The women in the treatment group were given 6 grams of magnesium sulfate intravenously over 20 to 30 minutes, followed by 2 grams of magnesium sulfate every hour after that until either 12 hours had passed, labour had 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 labour by the 34th week of pregnancy. For purposes of their statistical analysis, the researchers calculated the rates of moderate cerebral palsy, severe cerebral palsy, and death among the infants in the study. The study authors did not include mild cerebral palsy in this calculation, as mild cerebral palsy will often disappear with time. When the researchers considered only moderate and severe cerebral palsy together, cerebral palsy occurred less frequently in the magnesium sulfate group (1.9%) compared with the placebo group (3.5%). For their primary calculation, the researchers grouped the proportions of infants with moderate and severe cerebral palsy together with the proportion of infants who died. The researchers included the death rate in this primary calculation, because mortality among preterm infants is very high. The proportion of deaths occurring in the magnesium sulfate group (9.5%) did not differ significantly from those in the placebo group (8.5%). There was no difference in the average gestational age between the 2 groups of infants. Cerebral palsy was diagnosed in 41 children from 942 magnesium sulfate-treated pregnancies, as compared to 74 children from 1,002 placebo-treated pregnancies. Of the children in the magnesium sulfate group, 2.2% had cerebral palsy classified as mild, 1.5% as moderate, and 0.5% as severe. Of the children in the placebo group, 3.7% had mild cases of cerebral palsy, 2.0% had moderate cases, and 1.6% had severe cases. "This is a major advance," said coauthor Catherine Y. Spong, MD, NICHD's Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch. "Our results show that obstetricians can use magnesium sulfate, which they have experience prescribing, to reduce the risk of a devastating condition, cerebral palsy, in preterm infants." SOURCE: National Institute of Mental Health --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.