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17/02/2015

Low Birth Weight Linked To Mental Health Problems - Study

A new study has claimed that babies with a very low birth weight are at a higher risk of suffering from mental health problems.

The study, which was carried out by researchers in Canada and published in the Pediatrics journal, found babies with the lower birth weight are at a higher risk of depression, ADHD and anxiety in adulthood, compared to babies born with a healthy weight.

Researchers looked at the presence of psychiatric disorders among 84 adults, who had extremely low birth weights – less than 1,000g – and 90 adults who were born a normal birth weight. The adults were born between 1977 and 1982, in Canada, and were in their early 30s at the time of assessment.

It was found that the low birth weight participants were two and a half times more likely to develop a psychiatric disorder in adulthood than those born a normal weight. However, the findings are revealed that those with an extremely low birth weight (ELBW) were three times less likely than those with a normal birth weight to develop a substance or alcohol use disorder.

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While those with low birth rates, and whose mother had received full antenatal corticosteroid treatment (ACS) before birth, were found to be almost four and a half times more likely to develop psychiatric problems than those with a normal birth weight.

In conclusion, the study said: "Unfortunately, ELBW survivors who may benefit significantly from ACS at birth and in the neonatal period may be at an elevated risk of psychopathology in later life.

"However, it is important to stress that ACS is a lifesaving intervention, and even if our findings are replicated, we would advocate for close follow-up of these individuals rather than avoidance of ACS by women presenting with threatened preterm birth.

"Future work is needed to replicate our ELBW and ACS survivors' results in adulthood and to elucidate the psychosocial and biological pathways underlying our findings.

"Understanding the specific types of problems ELBW survivors are at risk for can help us better predict, detect, and treat mental disorders in this group and provide us with valuable insights into the pathogenesis of these conditions."

(JP/IT)

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"A new study has claimed that babies with a very low birth weight are at a higher risk of suffering from mental health problems."