When a baby is born with low weight, the risk of physical complications increases later in life, such as hypertension. But recent discoveries prove that low birth weight can also cause some mental health problems, such as depression or anxiety, throughout your life.
According to a new study published in the American Psychological Association, People who were born with an extremely low weight have a higher risk of suffering from psychological illnesses compared to those born with a normal weight.. Some of the difficulties they may present could be attention problems, anxiety and social problems.
To obtain these results, the team of researchers took 41 studies that followed the development of 2,172 people who were born with very low weight and 11,127 who were born with normal weight. All studies were conducted over a period of 26 years from 1990 to 2016 and in 12 different countries, including the United States and Canada.
It was found that babies with very low weight They had a high risk of suffering certain mental problems, beginning in childhood and extending until after 30 years of age. In the childhood stage they were more likely to suffer attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in almost all the studies analyzed. The adolescents also presented the same deficit, as well as social problems. And during adulthood, they presented higher levels of anxiety, depression and shyness, as well as low levels of social behavior.
It is important to mention that these problems they were not affected by the date or place where the people included in the study were born and that all the individuals who participated in them were from developed countries within North America, Europe or Australia.
"The consistency of these discoveries across so many countries of different geographical regions suggests that these social, behavioral and social problems are caused by biological factors and their programmed development."says Dr. Karen Mathewson, one of the authors of the study.
This discovery is important because in this way precautions can be taken from an early age to provide psychological help to children who may present a problem such as attention deficit, and who may continue to affect them in their adult lives.
"It is important that both parents and health personnel know and be aware of the possibility that some of these problems may occur in babies born underweight and that many of them fail to overcome them when they are older. As a result, It is essential that the necessary treatment be available to those who require it as soon as possible in their lives"concludes Dr. Mathewson.
Why are some babies born underweight?
There are different causes that predispose babies to be born with low weight, but fortunately the knowing them helps to take measures that can prevent this from happening. Some of the most common causes can be controlled by ourselves, as we will discuss below.
Consumption of drugs like tobacco and alcohol, can limit fetal growth, in addition to causing birth defects. Exposing to the smoke of other smokers can also affect the baby's weight. Ideally, stop using them before becoming pregnant, but if pregnancy takes us by surprise, they should be stopped immediately.
Wear poor feeding during pregnancy It is also a factor that includes the baby's weight. Eating the necessary food to carry a healthy pregnancy is very important, so we suggest you follow the recommendations of the experts.
Suffer stress during pregnancy, or even before, it can also affect the baby's weight at birth, as it limits blood flow (and thereby nutrition) to the uterus.
There are also some factors beyond the control of the mother, but that can be controlled with medical help, as in the case of a multiple pregnancy, that the mother suffers some chronic disease or that the baby is born premature. This is why it is very important that during the pregnancy you go on time to appointments or medical check-ups and you can give the baby the attention and care you need.
