Kristie McNealy, MD

This week, I posted articles on the impact of immediate cord clamping (ICC) on preemies and the prevalence of autistic traits in extremely premature babies. Now, I read some information online that seems to tie the two article together. Apparently, there are people out there linking the practice of immediate cord clamping with the growing prevalence of autism.

The argument behind this theory goes something like this: Immediate cord clamping interferes with the normal physiologic processes which occur during the transition from fetal to newborn circulation. It causes less blood to enter the baby’s body at birth, which can lead to anemia. In addition, it blocks the flow of oxygenated blood to the baby from the placenta, which can be dangerous if the baby has not yet initiated its first breath. The worst case result in this scenario is hypoxic brain injury, which creates a particular pattern of brain damage resulting in autism.

Interestingly, my reading today suggests that boys are more sensitive to developing ischemic brain damage from ICC, and in addition, the study of autistic traits in preemies found that males had these traits more frequently. This is relevant, because immediate cord camping has pretty much become the standard of care for preemies so that they can be quickly assessed and resuscitated if necessary. According to this theory, the higher rate of ICC in preemies would be directly related to the high rate of autistic traits found in extremely premature babies.

Now, I really haven’t done enough research to know if this autism/ICC link is true or not, but it’s certainly more compelling to me than the comment posted on my women’s health blog which attributes all of our current ills to cell phones and cell phone towers. What do you think?

Similar Posts:

• Autism, Diet and Urinary Opioids
• Delayed Cord Clamping May Reduce Brain Bleeds in Preemies
• Study on Preemies and Cord Clamping to Begin
• More Evidence Preemies Face Increased Risk of Autism