Blood test for newborns that could prevent brain damage
A SIMPLE blood test could save babies from disability by detecting warning signs of brain damage hours after birth.
Scientists found the check reveals potential inflammation in infants’ brains if they are deprived of oxygen during birth.
This could ensure doctors take fast action to help prevent children becoming severely disabled.
Up to three in every 1,000 babies in the UK are starved of oxygen at birth, which can lead to epilepsy, cerebral palsy or blindness.
Experts analysed the blood of 45 of these newborns, around half of whom became disabled by 18 months.
They found babies who suffered disabilities had genetic ‘fingerprints’ in their blood linked to overactive genes which can cause inflammation in the brain.
A blood test for these signs could help doctors rapidly decide whether to place certain babies on a cooling mattress to lower their temperature.
This treatment means children need less oxygen for their brain cells, which are then less likely to run low on fuel and die – reducing their likelihood of damage and disability.
Currently, with no such blood test available in hospitals, babies are chosen for cooling based largely on clinical examination and whether they needed resuscitation. It raises the risk that some in desperate need of the treatment could miss out.
Dr Paolo Montaldo, who helped develop the test at
Imperial College London, said: ‘It could give doctors better information on whether babies need cooling and help to develop better treatments to prevent disability.’
Reasons for babies being
‘Overactive genes’
deprived of oxygen at birth include becoming lodged in the birth canal during labour, a ruptured placenta or their mother having an infection.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, took blood from 45 such babies within six hours of birth. The children were visited again at the age of 18 to 22 months, at which point 23 were severely or moderately disabled.
This meant they were blind, deaf or scored badly in tests on things such as being unable to walk or run, and understanding instructions and words.
These disabled children’s blood tests showed altered activity in 855 genes.
Two in particular were significantly different. These play a key role in causing the brain to swell and brain cells to die, and can be dialled up or down like dimmer switches.
When dialled up, as they were in these infants, experts believe they cause too much inflammation in the brain, leading to disability. The study, involving babies in hospitals in India, also found those who became disabled appeared to show less sign of melatonin.
The chemical may protect the brain from the worst effects of oxygen deprivation, although more research is needed.
Dr Montaldo said: ‘This could lead to a new treatment like melatonin to prevent disability, although that is still being trialled and is probably at least five years away.’
The blood test, which is expected in future to return a result within a few hours, could also be used to tell parents early on if their child is likely to become disabled, so that they can receive counselling.