Brain injuries in babies before or shortly after birth can lead to a range of disabilities, including cerebral palsy and epilepsy, some severe. They can also lead to death in the most extreme cases. A new study from researchers from Imperial College London used a simple blood test to find the cause of infant brain damage. This will help physicians treat babies more quickly and effectively.
Hypoxia and Brain Injury in Newborns
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is brain damage caused by hypoxia, which is a lack of oxygen to the brain. A baby may be born with HIE for many reasons, and it can cause cerebral palsy, other disabilities, or even fatalities in severe cases.
Quick and accurate treatment of HIE is essential for the best outcomes. Both rely on understanding the underlying cause of the brain injury. Some types of injury respond well to certain treatments that can actually worsen the damage in other types.
Identifying Brain Injury Type with Blood Test
In this recent study, researchers found that a simple blood test could provide vital information about a newborn’s brain injury to allow physicians to choose the best treatment. They looked at babies from low- and middle-income countries and high-income countries.
A blood test found significant differences in gene expressions of babies born with HIE birth injuries depending on whether they came from lower or higher-income countries. Those from high-income countries had gene expressions in their blood that indicated a single cause of brain injury, such as a birth complication.
More of the babies from lower-income countries had gene expression patterns that show they experienced intermittent low oxygen levels in the womb rather than one incident of oxygen loss. This distinction shows that babies from lower-income countries are more affected by chronic stress, such as poor nutrition or infection in the mother during pregnancy.
Treating Different Types of Infant Brain Injury
Understanding the underlying causes of HIE in newborns will help physicians choose the most appropriate treatments and get better outcomes. Whole-body cooling therapy has been found to improve outcomes for brain-injured babies in high-income countries. It may actually worsen brain injuries in babies from lower-income countries.
The latest research explains this discrepancy and indicates that the treatment type must match the cause of brain injury to be effective. Babies who suffered intermittent brain injury do not respond as well to cooling therapy and might even be harmed by it. With a quick blood test, doctors can now determine when to use cooling therapy and when to choose other treatment options.
Oxygen loss during pregnancy or labor and delivery often has severe consequences, including limiting disabilities or even fatalities. Early and appropriate treatment is vital for improving outcomes for these vulnerable newborns. If your child was born with a brain injury, talk to a cerebral palsy lawyer about any legal options you might have.
