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Babies exposed to Zika before birth may have brain issues in early childhood
Filed Under:
Zika
Nov 30, 2022
Preschool-aged Colombian children who were exposed to the Zika virus while in the womb but were never diagnosed as having Zika-related birth defects or congenital Zika syndrome may still display differences in some aspects of cognitive development, mood, and mobility in early childhood, reports a study in Pediatric Research.
The study compared 55 children aged 3 to 5 years who were exposed to Zika in the womb in Sabanalarga, Colombia, and compared them to 70 control children aged 4 to 5 years who had not been exposed to Zika prenatally during the 2015-2017 Zika outbreak in South America.
Doctors assessed each group's motor skills and school-readiness skills (identifying colors, letters, numbers, and shapes) between December 2020 and February 2021. Parents were also asked to assess a child's mood and any behavioral or physical concerns.
Though cognitive function scores and manual dexterity scores were not significantly different between the two groups, parents of 6 (11%) Zika-exposed children reported mood problems, compared to 1 (1%) of control children. Parents of Zika-exposed children were also significantly more likely to report parental distress.
"There are still many unanswered questions about the long-term impacts of Zika on children exposed in utero," said Sarah Mulkey, MD, PhD, the study's first author, in a press release. "These findings are another piece of the puzzle that provides insight into the long-term neurodevelopment of children with prenatal Zika virus exposure. Further evaluation is needed as these children get older."
Babies exposed to Zika before birth may have brain issues in early childhood
Filed Under:
Zika
Nov 30, 2022
Preschool-aged Colombian children who were exposed to the Zika virus while in the womb but were never diagnosed as having Zika-related birth defects or congenital Zika syndrome may still display differences in some aspects of cognitive development, mood, and mobility in early childhood, reports a study in Pediatric Research.
The study compared 55 children aged 3 to 5 years who were exposed to Zika in the womb in Sabanalarga, Colombia, and compared them to 70 control children aged 4 to 5 years who had not been exposed to Zika prenatally during the 2015-2017 Zika outbreak in South America.
Doctors assessed each group's motor skills and school-readiness skills (identifying colors, letters, numbers, and shapes) between December 2020 and February 2021. Parents were also asked to assess a child's mood and any behavioral or physical concerns.
Though cognitive function scores and manual dexterity scores were not significantly different between the two groups, parents of 6 (11%) Zika-exposed children reported mood problems, compared to 1 (1%) of control children. Parents of Zika-exposed children were also significantly more likely to report parental distress.
"There are still many unanswered questions about the long-term impacts of Zika on children exposed in utero," said Sarah Mulkey, MD, PhD, the study's first author, in a press release. "These findings are another piece of the puzzle that provides insight into the long-term neurodevelopment of children with prenatal Zika virus exposure. Further evaluation is needed as these children get older."