A major new study published recently in the United Kingdom says that women who go into labor early should not be given antibiotics unless there is a clear indication of infection. The use of antibiotics in premature birth is linked to the development of cerebral palsy, according to the study.
The ORACLE children's study originally began its research into the use of antibiotics during premature labor in 1994. The results for the study were originally published in 2001. A follow-up to the original study was recently published.
The new study found that "functioning" problems were more frequent in women whose water did not break early, but were given antibiotics. It also found that the children of women in this group were more likely to receive a birth injury and cerebral palsy diagnosis. Of the children in this group, 4.4% began experiencing cerebral palsy symptoms shortly after birth. Of the children of mothers who did not take any antibiotics, 1.6% had cerebral palsy.
Doctors are still unsure as to the reason why the children of mothers who had taken antibiotics had developed cerebral palsy.
