Magnesium Sulfate Infusion Helps Prevent Cerebral Palsy in Babies, Clinicians Encourage Global Uptake

Giving a magnesium sulfate infusion to women experiencing early labor can significantly reduce their risk of delivering a baby with cerebral palsy, a recent review found.

Cerebral palsy risks were reduced by 29 percent, the authors found.

Magnesium sulfate, which has the same chemical composition as Epsom salts, retails at less than $20 in the United States for intravenous infusions.

The 2024 report published in the Cochrane Database for Systematic Reviews also found that the medication lowers the combined risk of death or cerebral palsy in children.

Babies born preterm are at a higher risk of developing cerebral palsy, an incurable motor disability that affects movements, postures, and in some cases, cognition and behavior.

In a recent editorial published on Sept. 24 in the Cochrane Review, Karen Luyt, professor of neonatal medicine at the University of Bristol, called for wider use of magnesium sulfate and more research into making it accessible in places with fewer resources.

Magnesium Sulfate for Neuroprotection

Researchers involved in the review did not explain why magnesium sulfate reduced cerebral palsy risks.

However, previous research suggests that magnesium sulfate may stabilize the mother’s blood pressure and enhance blood flow to the unborn baby’s brain, preventing the baby from becoming hypoxic.

Magnesium sulfate is often used to suppress premature labor and delay preterm birth.

In the United States, magnesium sulfate is given to mothers who go into early labor; it has been endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists since 2010.

Preterm birth, defined as delivery before 37 weeks, puts newborns at risk for cerebral palsy, which can occur from brain injuries during or shortly after birth. If a child’s brain is deprived of oxygen during the delivery, it can lead to irreversible damage and lifelong disabilities.

Researchers of the review analyzed six clinical trials involving nearly 6,000 women and more than 6,700 babies born prematurely.

The authors found that while magnesium sulfate effectively reduces brain injuries, it did not significantly decrease deaths in the short term. The treatment did not increase the risk of serious complications for mothers, such as cardiac arrest, but some women experienced side effects that led to stopping the treatment.

Common side effects include:

• High blood pressure
• Rapid heartbeat
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dizziness

Challenges in Global Treatment

Despite more than a decade of evidence and recommendations from the World Health Organization since 2015, not all mothers globally receive magnesium sulfate infusions.

Data from the Vermont Oxford Network, which includes more than 1,400 participating neonatal units worldwide, though primarily in the United States, indicate that only about two-thirds of eligible women receive magnesium sulfate. This is likely lower in low-resource settings that are underrepresented in the data, according to a Cochrane statement.

Some women in preterm labor deliver too quickly for intervention, while others experience “false alarms” and give birth later, Lex Doyle, honorary professor of neonatal pediatrics at the University of Melbourne, who worked on the 2009 review, said in the Cochrane statement.

Luyt called for the wider use of magnesium sulfate and improved accessibility.

“We need further research to explore other questions to help optimize implementation,” Emily Shepherd, the review’s lead author, said in the Cochrane statement. “For example, is it better to deliver the drug as soon as women present to hospital in preterm labour, or as close to the birth as possible? Are the benefits the same regardless of how early the babies are born?”

Shepherd and her team are currently exploring these questions to help standardize international recommendations.

“Our hope is that women whose children will likely not benefit are not exposed unnecessarily and that all women whose children are likely to benefit are offered treatment across the globe,” she said.

Source: https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/inexpensive-infusion-helps-prevent-cerebral-palsy-in-babies-clinicians-encourage-global-uptake-5730914