I suffered from preeclampsia with my first pregnancy, thankfully the symptoms didn’t present until I was 37 weeks pregnant and already dilated. However, during the 48 hours (or so) that I dealt with the symptoms, I was miserable. At that time, I only knew of a handful of women (both in person and via online message boards) that also dealt with pre-e. In the past 7 years, however, it seems that I read about more and more pre-e stories.
While catching up on environmental news today, I came across a study that links exposure to high amounts of car pollution to an increase in pre-e rates as well as an increase in premature births. The study group was pregnant women in Long Beach/Orange County, California and the results show that women in traffic-congested areas had a 42% increased risk for pre-e. The increased risk for premature birth (prior to 30 weeks) is staggering – 128% for those in the most polluted areas.
“The infants’ birth records were matched with their addresses and then compared with traffic patterns and estimates of two pollutants—particulates and nitrogen oxides—from vehicles near the mothers’ homes.
The study was unique in that the researchers constructed a database estimating what the pregnant women breathed in their own neighborhoods–within three kilometers, or less than two miles, of their homes. “ Source: Environmental Health News
Although technology has advanced to a point that children born prior to 30 weeks can have a favorable health outlook, there are still quite a few risks to children born so early.
According to the March of Dimes’ Prematurity Campaign website, infants born prior to 30 weeks may be faced with respiratory distress syndrome, bleeding in the brain, patent ductus arteriousus, necrotizing enterocolitis, and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Preeclampsia can lead to premature birth if either the mother or baby’s life is at risk.
Although the study sample isn’t very large, it is intriguing and may be indicative of the ongoing dangers of automobile emissions. I’m sure that more research will be conducted in order to provide more conclusive information.
Photo by biofriendly
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