Viral Infections Tied to Pregnancy Complications (KOLD News 13 Tuscon)- About: Pregnancy News

The findings — the first of their kind — are a major advance in learning more about the cause of hypertension in pregnancy, according to the authors of the study, which was published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and amp; Gynaecology . Over 10 years, researchers from Adelaide’s Women and amp; Children’s Hospital and the University of Adelaide detected the presence of viral nucleic acid in heel-prick blood samples from 1,326 newborns — more than 400 of whom were diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Previously, the Adelaide group identified a link between viral infection in pregnancy, genetic mutations in genes controlling inflammatory and blood clotting processes, and the development of cerebral palsy. They also found an association between several hereditary gene mutations and changes in inflammatory proteins that may cause dysfunction and constriction of blood vessels in the placenta and brain, resulting in increased blood pressure during pregnancy. The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about high blood pressure during pregnancy . read more

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