Newborns whose mothers are under stress
during the first trimester of pregnancy may be at risk for low iron status,
which could lead to physical and mental delays down the road, according to a
study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in
Boston.
Iron
plays an important role in the development of organ systems, especially the
brain. Well-known risk factors for poor iron status in infants are maternal
iron deficiency, maternal diabetes, smoking during pregnancy, preterm birth, low birthweight and
multiple pregnancy.
This
study, conducted by researchers from Ashkelon Academic College and Barzilai
Medical Center in Israel and the University of Michigan, is the first in humans
to suggest that maternal stress early in pregnancy is another risk factor for
low iron status in newborns.
Researchers,
led by Rinat Armony-Sivan, PhD, director of the psychology research laboratory
at Ashkelon Academic College, recruited pregnant women who were about to give
birth at Barzilai Medical Center. The first group of women (stress group) lived
in an area where there were more than 600 rocket attacks ("Oferet
Yetzuka" operation) during their first trimester of pregnancy. The control
group lived in the same area and became pregnant three to four months after the
rocket attacks ended.
Women
were questioned briefly at the delivery room reception desk to determine
whether they were healthy and without pregnancy
complications. Eligible women who agreed to participate in the study were
interviewed one or two days after delivery about their background and health
during pregnancy. They also filled out questionnaires about depression and
anxiety, and rated their stress level during pregnancy.
Cord
blood was collected from newborns, and serum ferritin (iron)
concentrations were measured.
Results
showed that the 63 babies whose mothers were in the stress group had
significantly lower cord-blood ferritin concentrations than the 77 infants in
the control group.
"Our
findings indicate that infants whose mothers were stressed duringpregnancy are a
previously unrecognized risk group for iron deficiency," Dr. Armony-Sivan
said. "Pregnant women should be aware that their health, nutrition, stress level and state of
mind will affect their baby's health and well-being."
Dr.
Armony-Sivan concluded that it may be advisable to consider additional blood
work before the well-child visit at 12 months of age, especially in high-risk
populations, so that iron deficiency, with
or without anemia, can be detected early and treated before it becomes chronic
and severe.
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