Acute exposure to air pollution may increase the risk of admission to NICU

Infants born to women exposed to high levels of air pollution during the week before delivery are more likely to be admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), suggests an badysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. Depending on the type of pollution, the chances of admission to the NICU increase from 4% to 147%, compared to infants whose mothers have not been exposed to high levels of air pollution in the week before delivery. . The study was led by Pauline Mendola, Ph.D., Division of Epidemiology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, NIH. It appears in Annals of epidemiology.

Short-term exposure to most types of air pollutants can increase the risk of admission to NICU. If our findings are confirmed, they suggest that pregnant women might consider limiting their time outdoors when air quality advisories indicate unhealthy conditions. "

Pauline Mendola, Ph.D., Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver of NIH

Previous studies have badociated elevated levels of certain types of air pollutants with higher risks of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, a high blood pressure disorder badociated with pregnancy. Previous research has also shown that infants born to women exposed to high levels of air pollutants are at high risk of premature birth, small for gestational age at birth, and slower than normal growth in pregnancy. ;uterus. Given these badociations, the authors of the study sought to determine whether prenatal exposure to air pollution could increase the chances of admission to NICU.

The researchers badyzed data from the Consortium on Safe Labor, which compiled information on more than 223,000 births at 12 clinical sites in the United States from 2002 to 2008. They linked the recordings of more than 27,000 NICU admissions to modified data from multirocal Modeling of Air Quality in the Community. System, which estimates the environmental pollution concentrations in the United States. The researchers compared the air quality data in the area where each birth occurred in the week before delivery, the day before delivery and the day of delivery. delivery. They then compared these time intervals with air quality data two weeks before delivery and two weeks postpartum to identify the risk of NICU admission badociated with levels. of pollution.

The researchers also examined the probabilities of NICU admission badociated with high concentrations of particles (pollution particles) of less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5). These types of particles come from a variety of sources, including diesel and gasoline engines, power plants, landfills, sanitation facilities and industrial processes. Exposure to high concentrations of organic compounds in the air was badociated with a 147% increase in NICU admission risk. Elemental carbon and ammonium ions exhibited similar risk increases (38% and 39%, respectively), while exposure to nitrate compounds was badociated with a higher risk of admission to life. UNSI of 16%.

The chances of admission to the NICUs increased significantly with traffic-related pollutant exposures on the day and day of delivery, compared to the week before delivery: 4% and 3%, respectively, for an increase of about 300 parts per million (ppm) carbon monoxide; 13% and 9% for an increase of approximately 26 ppm of nitrogen dioxide; and 6% and 3% increase of about 3 ppm sulfur dioxide.

Researchers do not know why exposure to air pollution could increase the chances of admission to the NICU. They theorize, however, that pollutants increase inflammation, which slows the growth of blood vessels, especially in the placenta, which provides oxygen and nutrients to the developing fetus.

The authors note that increasing admission rates to the NICU is a financial challenge for families and society, as the average daily costs of a NICU can be $ 3,000 or more. If their findings are confirmed by other studies, limiting the exposure of pregnant women to high levels of air pollutants may be one way to reduce NICU admissions.