Every year, over 60,000 babies are born that weigh less than 3.3 pounds. The good news is that the majority of these premature babies will survive due to the advancements in medicine over the years. The bad news is that doctors have not been as successful in preventing brain damage in premature babies.
However, a report at npr.org said that doctors are creating treatments to prevent brain injuries that are common in premature births. These treatments could reduce the instances of cerebral palsy, epilepsy and behavioral disorders in premature infants, according to the report. A California doctor noted that lack of oxygen is the most common cause of brain injury in the days and weeks after birth. Even with assistance from a mechanical breathing device, doctors cannot prevent the brain damage from occurring.
Now, the doctors hope to reverse and prevent that brain damage from happening. Researchers think that providing magnetic stimulation to the baby’s brain will safely lower their body temperature and protect brain tissue. Other doctors say there is a drug in development that will regenerate damaged brain cells in babies. The drug has had success in mice, but an application to humans is still years away.
Once doctors can treat brain injury in premature infants, they hope any treatment will apply to brain and spinal cord injuries in adults as well.
Have you or anyone you know had an experience with a premature birth?
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