Millions of newborns worldwide are affected by HIE, damage that occurs when oxygen or blood flow to the brain is reduced or stopped at birth.

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Preclinical models have suggested male animals are more susceptible to birth asphyxia than females, likely due to protection supplied by the female hormone estrogen.

Females tend to have better outcomes across a spectrum of neurological injuries, including strokes and traumatic brain injuries as well as prematurity.

However, previous clinical studies have not found an increased incidence of HIE in male babies, since most research investigating this effect has included relatively small numbers of newborns.

Revolutionizing Neonatal Care

For this study, the researchers used data from one of the largest U.S. single-site clinical cohorts of babies through a unique collaboration between UTSW’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Pediatrics’ Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, both of which have combined databases that track newborn statistics and outcomes at Parkland Memorial Hospital.

Parkland, the primary teaching hospital for UT Southwestern, has one of the busiest maternity wards in the country, having delivered 12,179 babies in fiscal year 2022.

Among singleton births between Dec. 1, 2005, and Dec. 1, 2020, the researchers identified 157,538 newborns. For about 99%, lab results on the infants’ umbilical cord blood were available, revealing that 5,590 had significantly acidified blood, indicating risk for HIE.

Although the sex of the newborns was nearly evenly divided, HIE diagnoses followed a different pattern: 54% were in males and 46% in females.

Dr. Chalak, who is also a neonatologist at Children’s Health, said these findings could affect the counseling of new parents whose babies have been diagnosed with HIE, as well as the development of new interventions. “Boys may have different molecular pathways than girls, so we might need to address this with different therapies,” she said.

Reference :

1. Sex Vulnerabilities to Hypoxia-Ischemia at Birth
   – (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2807807)

Source: Newswise