Intake of Magnesium Sulfate In Pregnant Women May Help to Reduce the Risk of Cerebral Palsy In Children

Jillian Clinton

Characteristics of Cerebral Palsy (CP)• Disorder of movement, muscle tone, or posture caused by a

disruption to the immature, developing brain that controls muscle movements

• Causes impaired movements including exaggerated reflexes, floppiness, or firmness of the limbs or trunk

• Can trigger trouble in swallowing or eye muscle imbalance • Most often developed before birth and symptoms appear

during infancy or preschool years • The effect of cerebral palsy on functional and intellectual

abilities varies greatly per person • ½ of children with CP are born prematurely• About 1 in 323 children have been identified with CP according

to estimates from CDC’s Autism Developmental Disablilites Montioring Network, 2008

• In many cases, the cause of CP is unknown

Environmental Impact on CPIncrease Risk:

Before Birth:• Babies born to teenagers or women 35 or older• Alcohol or drugs during pregnancy• Exposure to medicines including thyroid hormones and

methotrexateAt Birth:

• Difficult or prolonged labor • Babies born prematurely because CP increases as birth weight

decreases• Infections to the mother’s uterus such as strep infections that can

transfer to the baby during birth After Birth:

• Serious illness such as jaundice or meningitis• Severe head injury• Lack of oxygen to brain tissues• Blood-clotting or genetic problems

Decrease Risk: • Pregnant mother’s intake of magnesium sulfate

What is Magnesium Sulfate?• MgSO4 is an inorganic salt containing

magnesium, sulfur, and oxygen • Affects the CNS of the mother and the fetus • Used to stop preterm labor• Thought to reduce the risk of neonatal brain

injury, therefore reducing the risk of CP by helping the baby’s brain during pre-labor

• Given intravenously

Outcome/ Take Home Message:From the experiment conducted, the experimental group of premature children had a lower percentile of severe CP and moderate CP than the placebo group whom did not receive an injection of magnesium sulfate. Although the difference between the placebo and experimental percentiles was not a significant difference, the injection of Magnesium Sulfate to a pregnant woman who is expecting a prenatal pregnancy can reduce the risk of chronic Cerebral Palsy in her child.

Research Experiment:• Control group= 50 pregnant women with an immediate risk of premature delivery are given a placebo in the hours prior to giving birth

• Experimental group= 50 pregnantwomen with an immediate risk of prematuredelivery are given an intravenous injectionof magnesium sulfate hours prior to giving birth

How the study will be conducted:The nurses whom injected the magnesium sulfate into the mother will have the mother sign a consent form to allow the nurse approval to follow up with her and her premature child for 2 years after the date of delivery. The nurses will complete a developmental monitoring, developmental screening, and medical evaluation after 9 months, 18 months, and 2 years to determine if there is severe moderate, or no cerebral palsy diagnosed in the children. The developmental monitoring tracks the child’s growth and development by simply viewing the child’s basic movements. The developmental screening determines if the child has any motor or movement delays either in the form of a questionnaire completed by the parent or a test for the child given by the doctor. Then the medical evaluation, given at 2 years, will diagnose the child with either severe, moderate, or no CP based on the previous tests. The placebo group of children is then compared to the experimental group to see if there is an inverse relationship between an injection of magnesium sulfate and the risk of cerebral palsy.

Severe

CPModerate

CP No CPPlacebo 7.0% 20% 73%Experimental 5.0% 13% 82%

Predicted Results:Table 1: Cerebral Palsy Results for Premature Children Two Years After Birth

Series10.0%

40.0%80.0%

Graph 1: Cerebral Palsy Results for Premature Children Two Years After Birth

Severe CP

Moderate CP

No CPPlacebo Experiment

Nutrient Metabolism: Protein Synthesis & MagnesiumMagnesium intake is shown to play an important role in increasing protein synthesis as well as a number of various enzymatic reactions that support a healthy metabolism . The more magnesium intake with the same amount of energy expenditure daily, will cause an increase in protein synthesis.

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2040

Magnesium Intake vs. Protein Synthesis

Magnesium Intake (mg/day)

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