Coronavirus, pregnancy and child's brain development

reference

Freedman R., Hunter SK, Law Aj, et al. Effects of motherly choline and respiratory coronaviruses on the development of the fetal brain. j Psychiatr. Res . 2020; 128: 1-4.

Study goal

The influence of the mother's cholin level on the inflammatory immune response should be examined, which is triggered by viral respiratory infections during pregnancy, and the subsequent influence on the neurological development of the infant.

draft

The researchers analyzed a subset of data from a study from 2019, in which pregnant women interviewed virus infections during pregnancy, tested C-reactive protein (CRP) and cholin levels in the blood and analyzed trends in connection with the development of infant after 3 months.

participant

Six -ninety -pregnant women, including 43, who had a viral respiratory infection before the 16th week of pregnancy, and 53 who did not have.

study parameters evaluated

The researchers asked the participants in the 16th week of pregnancy whether they had viral respiratory infections in the previous 6 weeks that caused diseases. If the answer was yes, the women were asked to classify their symptoms; Researchers confirmed this self -disclosure with a retrospective diagram check. Maternal choline and CRP values ​​were pulled after 16 weeks. When the infants were 3 months old, the mothers filled the infant Behaviour Questionnaire-revised short form (IBQ-R).

primary result measurements

History of a viral respiratory infection, CRP and cholin levels of the mother and IBQ-R scores of the infant after 3 months, in particular the reviews of regulation and attention.

important knowledge

virus infections of the respiratory tract correlated with increased CRP levels in women in the 16th week of pregnancy. In women with serum cholin mirrors of at least 7.5 µmol/l, there were no differences in infant values ​​for regulation and attention compared to the non -infected women. Infants of mothers who reported on viral respiratory infections and had a serum cholin level of less than 7.5 µmol/l, had significantly lower attention values ​​(2.64) compared to infants born by mothers without infection.

practice implications

The connection between the mother's cholin recording during pregnancy and the results of the infant is a hot topic in the prenatal diet. This article contributes to a growing number of works that indicate that all providers who work with pregnant women should evaluate maternal cholin recording.

The currently checked study used a data subgroup that indicates that a viral infection during the early second trimester can have negative neurological effects that are later observed in the neurological development of the infant, at least for women who have a lower cholin level after 16 weeks.

Investigations on animals have shown that inflammation during pregnancy can affect the later brain function in the descendants. A rodent study indicated, for example, that there is a vulnerable window at the beginning of the second trimester if inhibiting interneturons in the hippocampus are susceptible to mother's inflammation.

While the cohort used for the current study did not have an open Sars-Cov-2 infection, the authors suggest that the same protective use of the motherly cholin in her study against general infections of the upper respiratory tract could be relevant by coronavirus inflammation. To underpin your hypothesis, quote a small fall series of 9 women in Wuhan, China, which found increased CRP mirrors in pregnant women with a coronavirus infection.

This article contributes to a growing number of works that indicate that all providers who work with pregnant women should evaluate maternal cholin recording.

We are still at the beginning of the understanding of the Sars-Cov-2 virus. There is no information about how it could affect endangered population groups such as pregnant women and the development of infants. Although this study does not present new data specifically on Covid, it examines previous data and offers an interesting hypothesis that could be relevant for Coronavirus infections.

The average cholin recording for American women is 278 mg per day. ^{4 This is far below the 450 milligrams recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration for pregnant women. Many prenatal vitamins contain little to no choline, which means that most women have a cholin deficiency and probably below the value of 7.5 µmol/l, which seems to offer the infant a neuro -protection against maternal inflammation.}

This fact as well as the growing number of research results that support the security and potential benefits of a sufficient amount of choline in pregnancy, 5.6 speaks strongly to monitor maternal cholin recording during pregnancy and to propose a change in diet or nutritional supplement in order to achieve the desired admission. The possibility of adding a protective layer for the brain development of infants during a virus pandemic make the takeover of this idea more attractive, even if we are waiting for more conclusive data in the future.