Maternal and fetal influences on blood pressure

Article Abstract:

Several studies have reported that high blood pressure may begin during fetal development. A study performed in Preston, England, reported that high blood pressure in 50-year-old men and women was related to birth weight and to the weight of the placenta. Blood pressure increased as birth weight decreased and as the weight of the placenta increased. The adults with the highest blood pressure were small babies at birth and had large placentas. To investigate this issue further, a study was performed to examine maternal and fetal influences on blood pressure during childhood. The medical records of 405 four-year-old children were reviewed, and birth weight and body measurements were compared with current blood pressure. In this study, blood pressure increased as birth weight decreased, as the ratio of head circumference to length at birth decreased, and as placental weight increased. These findings suggest that high blood pressure may in fact be related to reduced fetal growth. In addition, at age four, the children who weighed more than 41 pounds had higher blood pressure than those who weighed less. Children born to mothers who had low blood levels of hemoglobin (the substance in red blood cells that carries iron and oxygen) during pregnancy had higher blood pressure than those born to mothers who had normal hemoglobin levels during pregnancy. There was no relationship between maternal smoking habits and blood pressure in children. Identifying intrauterine factors that influence fetal growth and development may be of use in preventing high blood pressure. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Hypertension, Causes of, Fetus, Physiological aspects, Pediatric diseases, Birth weight, Low, Low birth weight, Fetal growth retardation, Hypertension in children

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Breast feeding and protection against neonatal sepsis in a high risk population

Article Abstract:

Sepsis generally refers to serious illness caused by bacteria or the poisonous products of bacteria in the blood. It is a primary cause of death and disability among newborn infants. Neonatal sepsis (of newborns) occurs in 3 of 1,000 births and is associated with high mortality. The rate of death due to neonatal sepsis was reported to be 45 percent in Saudi Arabia, and 12 percent in Sweden. A study conducted in Lahore, Pakistan found that infants who were not breast-fed for the first 48 to 120 hours of life were given other food and fluids, which were often contaminated with bacteria. A Swedish study suggested that breast milk may protect against the development of sepsis and meningitis (inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord), resulting from infection with gram negative bacteria. The ability of breast milk to protect against neonatal sepsis was assessed in a developed community. The study involved 42 cases of neonatal sepsis and 270 healthy subjects who were matched for age and socioeconomic background. Most of the babies were not fed exclusively on breast milk; they were provided with a combination of breast milk and formula or animal milk. The results suggest that even partial feeding with breast milk significantly protects newborns against neonatal sepsis. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Care and treatment, Prevention, Food and nutrition, Infants (Newborn), Newborn infants, Breast feeding, Gram-negative bacterial infections, Septicemia

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