January 26, 2016
BALTIMORE,
Md -- January 26, 2016 -- Researchers have found a link between
pre-existing nutritional deficits and immune dysfunction and the risk of
hepatitis E infection during pregnancy.
The study, published in the journal American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, is thought to be the first to identify pre-existing characteristics that lead to an increased risk of hepatitis E infection.
“For decades, we've been asking why pregnant women who get hepatitis E die at an alarming rate,” said Alain Labrique, PhD, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland. “This research suggests that pre-existing differences could be the key we've been seeking. Even though women are exposed to similar environmental risk factors, the differences in pre-existing characteristics seem to put some women at a much higher risk of getting infected, sick and dying.”
“These findings could pave the road for stepped-up nutritional monitoring of pregnant women in this part of the world and lead to recommendations for nutritional supplements,” he added.
The researchers found that anaemia occurred in nearly 3 times the number of women who became infected compared with those who didn’t (27.5% vs 10%). Of the women with hepatitis E, 45% had a body mass index that categorised them as underweight compared with a quarter of the control group.
The researchers also found that women who were deficient in vitamin D in the first trimester were more likely to be infected than the control group of pregnant women at a similar risk level who did not become infected with the virus (95% vs 92.5%).
Women with lower levels of zinc in the third trimester were more likely to be infected than the control group of pregnant women who did not become infected with the virus (17.5% vs 2.5%).
The study, which was conducted at the Bloomberg School’s flagship JiVitA Research Project in Bangladesh, also found that women who became infected had higher levels of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. This suggests that pre-existing immune dysfunction may also increase the risk of getting hepatitis E or other infectious diseases.
For their study, researchers collected blood samples at 3 different times from 1,100 women living in northern Bangladesh: early in pregnancy, in the third trimester, and 3 months after giving birth. Forty women became infected with the virus over the course of the study. A control group of pregnant women who did not become infected were matched by several factors, including age and residence, to minimise differences in exposure to the virus or other external risk factors.
SOURCE: Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
The study, published in the journal American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, is thought to be the first to identify pre-existing characteristics that lead to an increased risk of hepatitis E infection.
“For decades, we've been asking why pregnant women who get hepatitis E die at an alarming rate,” said Alain Labrique, PhD, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland. “This research suggests that pre-existing differences could be the key we've been seeking. Even though women are exposed to similar environmental risk factors, the differences in pre-existing characteristics seem to put some women at a much higher risk of getting infected, sick and dying.”
“These findings could pave the road for stepped-up nutritional monitoring of pregnant women in this part of the world and lead to recommendations for nutritional supplements,” he added.
The researchers found that anaemia occurred in nearly 3 times the number of women who became infected compared with those who didn’t (27.5% vs 10%). Of the women with hepatitis E, 45% had a body mass index that categorised them as underweight compared with a quarter of the control group.
The researchers also found that women who were deficient in vitamin D in the first trimester were more likely to be infected than the control group of pregnant women at a similar risk level who did not become infected with the virus (95% vs 92.5%).
Women with lower levels of zinc in the third trimester were more likely to be infected than the control group of pregnant women who did not become infected with the virus (17.5% vs 2.5%).
The study, which was conducted at the Bloomberg School’s flagship JiVitA Research Project in Bangladesh, also found that women who became infected had higher levels of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. This suggests that pre-existing immune dysfunction may also increase the risk of getting hepatitis E or other infectious diseases.
For their study, researchers collected blood samples at 3 different times from 1,100 women living in northern Bangladesh: early in pregnancy, in the third trimester, and 3 months after giving birth. Forty women became infected with the virus over the course of the study. A control group of pregnant women who did not become infected were matched by several factors, including age and residence, to minimise differences in exposure to the virus or other external risk factors.
SOURCE: Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
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