- The Imperial College London team detected signs of hypoxia in the blood of newborns
- This could guide doctors on whether or not to use a cooling treatment.
Scientists have discovered that a blood test can identify the cause of brain injuries in newborn babies and help decide the best treatment.
Researchers at Imperial College London were able to detect signs in the blood that showed a newborn had suffered hypoxia (lack of oxygen during or shortly after birth).
This could then guide doctors on whether or not to use cooling treatment, which is commonly used to treat brain injuries but can be harmful in some cases.
The test may be useful in poor countries where babies are born with brain injuries caused by various factors such as poor nutrition, infections and chronic stress during pregnancy.
In high-income countries like the UK, these types of injuries are rare and are almost always caused by complications during childbirth, such as maternal bleeding.
Researchers at Imperial College London were able to detect signs in the blood that showed a newborn had suffered hypoxia (lack of oxygen during or shortly after birth).
Professor Sudhin Thayyil, from Imperial College, said: “Although cases of brain injury in babies may look similar, they can be quite different in how they occur.”
“The gene expression patterns we observed in babies from low-income countries were similar to those seen in people with sleep apnea, suggesting that they experienced intermittent hypoxia in utero and at birth.
“We believe this is due to multiple chronic stresses during pregnancy, such as poor nutrition or infections, as well as the normal birth process and uterine contractions, leading to increased hypoxia and ultimately injury to the uterus. baby’s brain.”
Oxygen deprivation can cause a variety of conditions such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, deafness or blindness.
Hypoxia is a leading cause of death and disability among babies, affecting around 3 million each year, the vast majority in poor countries. South Asia, particularly India, alone accounts for 60 percent of the deaths.
Cooling treatment involves lowering the baby’s body temperature so he or she uses less energy and heals faster.
Previous studies in wealthy countries have shown that treatment can improve outcomes for babies with hypoxia. As a result, it has become standard practice around the world. However, it can make things worse in the types of cases seen in poorer countries.
Professor Thayyil said: “The key for doctors, anywhere in the world, is to be able to identify the type of brain injury they are facing as early as possible.”