Excessive temperatures during pregnancy may cause low birth weight - study
A team led by researchers from Bar-Ilan University found a correlation between exposure to extreme temperatures during pregnancy and abnormally low birth weight.
womb 88.224 (photo credit: wikipedia)
Exposure to excessive heat or cold during pregnancy can result in low birth weight, according to a study published Wednesday in Environmental Health Perspectives.
The study was conducted by researchers from Bar-Ilan University
in conjunction with the University of Haifa, Ben-Gurion University, the
Israel Meteorological Service and several Spanish institutions.
Predicted
mean term birthweight (tBW) as a function of the entire pregnancy
average of the daily mean temperature (°C), for every climatic zone
(A-C) and (D) combined with percentiles calculated by the climatic zone.
(credit: DR. KEREN AGAY-SHAY/BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY)
The
researchers analyzed 624,940 births in Israel over five years and found
that fetal growth was inhibited by exposure to extreme high and low
temperatures, especially exposure to heat during the second and third
trimesters of pregnancy.
After gathering and modeling data on the births and outdoor
temperatures recorded during the pregnancies, the team conducted a
statistical analysis and compared the temperatures to birthweight.
They
found a correlation between exposure to extreme temperatures and
abnormally low birth weight.
“Our
study demonstrated the significant associations between exposure to
high and low outdoor temperature and birthweight in all term births born
in Israel during five years," said Dr. Keren Agay-Shay, Director of the
HER Lab at Bar-Ilan University's Azrieli Faculty of Medicine. "Lower
birthweight may indicate abnormalities in intrauterine growth and is a
risk factor for morbidity during early childhood and over the entire
life course."
The
researchers noted that health organizations must develop strategies in
order to address these findings, especially as global temperatures
increase due to climate change.
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