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Article: Can magnesium sulfate prevent cerebral palsy? A new study looks for answers.
- Article from:
- The Exceptional Parent
- Article date:
- September 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 EP Global Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Cerebral palsy is the most common, severe childhood motor disability for which there is no prevention or cure. The most important predictor of cerebral palsy is very low birthweight (less than 3.3 pounds). Because of recent technical advancements in care, more very small babies are surviving, thus, the prevalence of cerebral palsy has increased by as much as 20 percent in the past three decades.
Two recent studies suggest that predelivery use of magnesium sulfate may prevent cerebral palsy and intracranial hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain) in very-low-birthweight infants.(1) Both studies were retrospective (backward-in-time) investigations, meaning that the ...