Overdue babies may risk behaviour problems
Thursday May 3rd, 2012
Being born after 42 weeks' gestation may be linked to an increased risk of behavioural and emotional problems in early childhood, researchers warn today.
Post-term birth, as it is known, has previously been linked to neonatal ill health and a higher risk of death. Local protocols on induction vary, but post-term births still occur relatively frequently, at about one in ten to one in twenty babies.
Dr Hanan El Marroun of Erasmus MC-Sophia, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and colleagues looked at the possible link to problem behaviour in early childhood by studying details of 5,145 children, seven per cent of who were born post-term. Four per cent were premature.
Results indicate that both the preterm and post-term children had raised behavioural and emotional problem scores, as measured on parent-completed questionnaires at 18 and 36 months old.
Post-term born children had a higher risk for overall problem behaviour and were more than twice as likely to show attention deficit / hyperactivity problem behaviour.
The link may be due to an older placenta losing its ability to provide sufficient nutrients and oxygen, or caused by a disturbance of the "placental clock" which controls the length of pregnancy and regulates the baby's hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, a major part of the neuroendocrine system. This could trigger neuroendocrine abnormalities which might raise the risk of emotional and behavioural problems in later life.
Full results appear in the International Journal of Epidemiology today. The authors urge health care practitioners to take the findings into account when advising parents, but add that a follow-up longer than 36 months in needed.
Post-term birth and the risk of behavioural and emotional problems in early childhood. El Marroun, H. et al. The International Journal of Epidemiology May 3 2012 doi:10.1093/ije/dys043
Tags: Child Health | Childbirth and Pregnancy | Europe | Mental Health | Women’s Health & Gynaecology
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