"If there is a risk of birth before 32 weeks of pregnancy, mothers and doctors should consider magnesium sulphate to prevent cerebral palsy," says Dr Rouse.
The study by Dr Rouse and colleagues included 2,241 women at risk of premature birth between 24 and 31 weeks of pregnancy. Some were given magnesium sulphate and the others a placebo. When labour started, magnesium sulphate was given into a vein: 6 g at first, then 2 g an hour for 12 hours, by which time labour had either stopped or the baby had been born. The researchers then compared the babies in the two groups for deaths and cerebral palsy.
There was no clear difference in deaths between the two groups, but cerebral palsy occurred in 1.9% of babies in the magnesium group, compared with 5.3% in the placebo group.
"We don't know exactly how magnesium sulphate works," says Dr Rouse, "but it may stabilise the blood vessels in the vulnerable premature brain, protecting it from damage caused by lack of oxygen, inflammation and swelling." Earlier studies didn't support magnesium sulphate as an effective treatment to stop premature labour, but it is well established for treating high blood pressure in pregnancy (pre-eclampsia).
Cerebral palsy affects control of movement and posture, limiting activity. It is caused by damage to, or abnormal development of, a baby's brain. Premature birth is itself a risk factor: about a third of cases are linked with premature birth. The results of this study apply only to premature births.
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