Maternal anaemia reduces infant brain volumes, study finds

Health

Mirage News

Researchers followed 394 mother-infant pairs in Cape Town and scanned a subgroup of infants between three months and two years using both a 3 tesla scanner and a portable 64 millitesla device. Babies exposed to antenatal maternal anaemia had about 4% smaller total brain volume on average and smaller putamen, caudate nucleus, and corpus callosum volumes; the corpus callosum gap grew from about 4% at 12 months to 6% at 24 months. Differences appeared despite most mothers having mild anaemia, and mothers living with HIV had higher anaemia risk. The study highlights antenatal anaemia as a risk factor and shows portable MRI can enable community studies and intervention assessments.

Antenatal anaemia linked to smaller infant brain volumes