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It looks like climate change could break hearts in the near future. Literally.
A new study published Wednesday in the journal of the American Heart Association reveals the effects of more intense heat and longer heat resulting from global warming on pregnant mothers and their unborn children. In brief: The United States will see more newborns with conbad heart defects by 2025, particularly in the South, Northeast, and Midwest.
The preliminary paper drew data from the National Plus Defenses Prevention Study, the largest of its kind, that examined approximately 482,000 births annually between 1997 and 2007, from California to Arkansas. The authors then coupled this data to climate models to project the evolution of the number of conbad heart defects in a warmer world.
Conbad heart disease occurs when a baby's heart is not growing properly. This could include a hole in the heart or leaking valves. It's nothing to take lightly; it is the leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity in the United States and affects approximately 40,000 newborns a year.
"Our results highlight the alarming impact of climate change on human health and highlight the need to be better prepared to cope with the anticipated increase of a complex disease that often requires care and follow-up for life" , studied senior author, Shao Lin, of the Albany School of Public Health, said in a press release.
Western states will not see much increase in the rate of these conbad malformations; the study estimates fewer than 20 more cases between 2025 and 2035. In the South and Northeast, more than 2,000 additional cases could appear in each region between those years. This represents an increase of 12% and 38% in the number of conbad cardiac malformations in the South and Northeast, respectively.
This study builds on previous research that had revealed links between maternal exposure to heat and conbad heart defects. The research team also monitored the mother's race, educational level, body mbad index, and family history to ensure that they did not skew the results. The study does not take into account any potential adaptation to heat that humans could experience during this period. It is also based on a single climate scenario, which is not ideal, but the authors argue that this trend should appear in all climatic scenarios where temperatures are rising.
And get up they go. The purpose of this study is to inform public health professionals so they can prepare and save as many newborns as possible.
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