Australian Researchers Push Magnesium Sulphate as Cerebral Palsy Prevention

The risk of premature babies developing cerebral palsy is cut by a third if the mother is given magnesium sulphate immediately before birth, new research shows. So far it’s only been proven to work in babies born before 30 weeks, however, advocates of the research are saying that this new approach could prevent up to 150 babies a year from developing the chronic life-long condition.

Doctors are hailing the development as the biggest breakthrough in preventing the debilitating condition in 50 years, despite the fact it is not yet being routinely used in hospitals. The benefits of magnesium sulphate had been observed for a while, but obstetrics Professor Caroline Crowther says it was a large study in Australia and New Zealand in 2003 that gave compelling evidence. Read the full article »»»»