Not only nature but also the scorching temperature also heats the womb, causing prematurity, study says. (Image The University of Sheffield)

Hot temperature is related to prematurity: Study

Alfonsus Adi Putra
Business & Industry
Medical and Health
Dec 10, 2019
2030
Climate change doesn’t only affect nature. A study from the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California–Los Angeles, United States (U.S), pointed out that the spike in temperature due to climate change also contributed to an increase in shorter gestation and prematurity. With babies being born early, they are more prone to latent diseases.

By using estimate shifts in daily birth rates from U.S. counties over 20 years and 56 million births sample, the Californian researchers tabulated that about an average of 25,000 children were born prematurely during heat season in the U.S between 1969 – 1988.

In other words, annually, about 150,000 gestational days were lost.

Indeed, hot weather is related to the release of oxytocin, a substance related to delivery and labor in mothers. On the other hand, the researchers also pointed out that the heat also leads to cardiovascular stress which might be the trigger to prematurity.

Therefore, the researchers said that the possibility of prematurity at that time increased by 5 percent during the days when the temperature is over 32.2°C. Hot weather was responsible for one baby out of 200.

However, the researchers also said that the number is worsening as the world does not do anything to tackle the natural phenomenon. While the cause behind 1969 – 1988 number was uncertain (between mercury or temperature spike), the researchers asserted that the correlation between prematurity and climate change cannot be ignored.

Currently, the temperature is 1°C hotter than the pre-industrial era, and it is worsening. Hence, the researchers stated their concern for the spike in prematurity in the future, projecting 1 of 100 babies will come out early by the end of the century.

The research, published in Nature Climate Change journal, called for more research in terms of prematurity during hot weather to warn the world about the effect of climate change in gestation.

Source: https://bit.ly/2RAOuO3

Medical , Environment , Heat , Gestation , Pregnancy , Motherhood , Climate-change , Prematurity