The confinement by Covid reduced the rate of premature babies in the world

by time news

The number of premature babies born during the lockdowns caused by the pandemic fell worldwide. These are data from an investigation carried out on more than 52 million births in 26 countries – Spain was not included – which has been published in “Nature Human Behavior”. The report also shows that stillbirth rates remained unchanged during the first four months of the Covid-19 lockdown.

Research has found an overall 3-4% reduction in preterm births, averting almost 50,000 preterm births in the first month of lockdown alone. But the decline in preterm births was limited only to high-income countries, including Australia.

Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Co-Director Professor David Burgner commented that the decline in preterm births could have been caused by fewer non-Covid related infections due to better hygiene practices and reduced air pollution during the lockdown period.

Infections and air pollution were known to trigger inflammation, which contributed to premature births.

Preterm birth is the leading cause of infant mortality worldwide, but the underlying causes are largely unknown. During the Covid-19 lockdowns, unprecedented reductions in preterm birth rates (up to 90% in Denmark) and very low birth weight (70% in Ireland) were reported, although data from Nepal show an opposite trend , and increases stillbirths.

«Every year there are around 14.8 million preterm births worldwide, which means that even a modest reduction could have a big impact on global birth trends.», he assures.

We estimate that almost 50,000 premature births were prevented in the first month of confinement. “Understanding the underlying pathways linking lockdown with reduction in preterm births could have implications for clinical practice and policy.”

The study found no difference in stillbirth rates between high-income countries. The stillbirth rate in Australia is approximately 7.2 per 1,000 births, which is equivalent to about 2,000 babies a year.

The finding could help researchers better understand the causes of preterm birth, which remain frustratingly elusive to medical science.

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