1. Intake of Magnesium Sulfate In Pregnant Women May Help to Reduce the Risk of Cerebral Palsy In Children
Jillian Clinton
Environmental Impact on CP
Increase Risk:
Before Birth:
Babies born to teenagers or women 35 or older
Alcohol or drugs during pregnancy
Exposure to medicines including thyroid hormones and methotrexate
At Birth:
Difficult or prolonged labor
Babies born prematurely because CP increases as birth weight decreases
Infections to the mother’s uterus such as strep infections that can transfer to the baby during birth
After Birth:
Serious illness such as jaundice or meningitis
Severe head injury
Lack of oxygen to brain tissues
Blood-clotting or genetic problems
Decrease Risk:
Pregnant mother’s intake of magnesium sulfate
Characteristics of Cerebral Palsy (CP)
Disorder of movement, muscle tone, or posture caused by a disruption to the immature, developing brain that controls muscle movements
Causes impaired movements including exaggerated reflexes, floppiness, or firmness of the limbs or trunk
Can trigger trouble in swallowing or eye muscle imbalance
Most often developed before birth and symptoms appear during infancy or preschool years
The effect of cerebral palsy on functional and intellectual abilities varies greatly per person
½ of children with CP are born prematurely
About 1 in 323 children have been identified with CP according to estimates from CDC’s Autism Developmental Disablilites Montioring Network, 2008
In many cases, the cause of CP is unknown
What is Magnesium Sulfate?
MgSO4 is an inorganic salt containing magnesium, sulfur, and oxygen
Affects the CNS of the mother and the fetus
Used to stop preterm labor
Thought to reduce the risk of neonatal brain injury, therefore reducing the risk of CP by helping the baby’s brain during pre-labor
Given intravenously
Research Experiment:
Control group= 50 pregnant women
with an immediate risk of premature
delivery are given a placebo in the hours
prior to giving birth
Experimental group= 50 pregnant
women with an immediate risk of premature
delivery are given an intravenous injection
of magnesium sulfate hours prior to giving birth
How the study will be conducted:
The nurses whom injected the magnesium sulfate into the mother will have the mother sign a consent form to allow the nurse approval to follow up with her and her premature child for 2 years after the date of delivery. The nurses will complete a developmental monitoring, developmental screening, and medical evaluation after 9 months, 18 months, and 2 years to determine if there is severe moderate, or no cerebral palsy diagnosed in the children. The developmental monitoring tracks the child’s growth and development by simply viewing the child’s basic movements. The developmental screening determines if the child has any motor or movement delays either in the form of a questionnaire completed by the parent or a test for the child given by the doctor. Then the medical evaluation, given at 2 years, will diagnose the child with either severe, moderate, or no CP based on the previous tests. The placebo group of children is then compared to the experimental group to see if there is an inverse relationship between an injection of magnesium sulfate and the risk of cerebral palsy.
Nutrient Metabolism: Protein Synthesis & Magnesium
Magnesium intake is shown to play an important role in increasing protein synthesis as well as a number of various enzymatic reactions that support a healthy metabolism . The more magnesium intake with the same amount of energy expenditure daily, will cause an increase in protein synthesis.
Predicted Results:
Table 1: Cerebral Palsy Results for Premature Children Two Years After Birth
Severe CP
Moderate CP
No CP
Placebo
7.0%
20%
73%
Experimental
5.0%
13%
82%
Outcome/ Take Home Message:
From the experiment conducted, the experimental group of premature children had a lower percentile of severe CP and moderate CP than the placebo group whom did not receive an injection of magnesium sulfate. Although the difference between the placebo and experimental percentiles was not a significant difference, the injection of Magnesium Sulfate to a pregnant woman who is expecting a prenatal pregnancy can reduce the risk of chronic Cerebral Palsy in her child.
Placebo Experiment