Cerebral Palsy Reductions By Stopping Preterm Labor

Sept. 8, 2008 - PRLog -- Health care providers currently have no way of knowing which women will experience preterm labor or deliver their babies preterm. Some hospitals use magnesium sulfate for preterm labor. Early preterm birth is a risk factor for cerebral palsy, and the risk rises the earlier a baby is born. Having important information about cerebral palsy can help to reduce the risk as well. The site Cerebral Palsy Information (http://www.cerebralpalsyinformation.org) provides information on the condition as well as on cerebral palsy treatment.

The editors of Cerebral Palsy Information say; “Cerebral palsy occurs in about 2/1000 children. There can be many different causes of cerebral palsy.”

A large clinical trial, at 20 different sites to examine the effect of magnesium sulfate on the rate of moderate or severe cerebral palsy at or after the age of 2 years was conducted by Dr John Thorp, an OB-GYN the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The study used 2,241 women thought to be at high risk for going into premature labor. Some received an intravenous infusion of magnesium sulfate solution; others received a placebo that looked exactly the same.

The infusions were started just before delivery was thought to be starting. This was then followed by a maintenance dose. The results showed that: moderate or severe cerebral palsy occurred about half as often in the magnesium sulfate group than in the placebo group. This is an extremely important finding in prevention methods and cerebral palsy treatment.

Fiona Stanley, MD, of the University of Western Australia’s Centre for Child Health Research states; “Better understanding is needed of factors that might influence the likelihood that offspring will benefit from maternal magnesium sulfate treatment, such as the reason for imminent preterm birth, the dose of magnesium sulfate, and the timing of administration relative to birth and gestational age.”

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If you have a family member who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, you may be looking for information on the options for cerebral palsy treatment as well as prevention methods. Cerebral Palsy Information (http://www.cerebralpalsyinformation.org) explores some of the options available for cerebral palsy treatment and cerebral palsy prevention.