Lockdown leads to decrease in premature births
Posted August 26, 2020 10:24 am.
Last Updated August 26, 2020 1:28 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (CityNews) – A bright spot from the COVID-19 lockdown around the world as the number of premature births has dramatically decreased.
But with the world now opening up again, could those numbers rebound?
A baby born before 37 weeks is often referred to as a preemie and those babies, especially born three to four months, early face a high risk of death and other potential problems down the road.
“(Things) like cerebral palsy. There could be a learning disability. They are at very high-risk for hearing or vision problems.”
Dr. Belal Alshaikh said just after the lockdown came into effect, early preterm births decreased between 34 and 40 per cent in Calgary.
Meanwhile, in countries like Ireland and Denmark, the number was closer to 70 per cent.
While doctors and researchers can’t be certain why, they have some ideas.
“Less stress from work, maybe less stress from commuting and more family support as well,” said Alshaikh. “They may have avoided not only coronavirus but other types of infection, especially the viral infections.”
However, Alshaikh added more people are back to work, including expectant mothers.
“After a couple of weeks of that, we started to see higher numbers coming. Our Neo-Natal Intensive Care Units in Calgary (are) back to its normal rates.”
Doctors around the world are now hoping to put this natural experiment to good use.
“This data, hopefully, will help us understand the causes of preterm birth and also the ways to prevent preterm birth.”
