Drivers May Be Inhaling Dangerous Carcinogens Inside Their Cars

• Robert Preidt
• February 18, 2021
• Full Page

Worried about what damage the polluted air outside might pose to your health during your work commute? New research suggests you might want to worry more about the chemicals you are exposed to inside your car.

Benzene and formaldehyde are used in automobile manu...

Prescription Opioids, Antibiotics in Pregnancy Won't Raise Birth Defect Risk: Studies

• Robert Preidt
• February 11, 2021
• Full Page

Taking prescription opioid painkillers or a common class of antibiotics during pregnancy doesn't increase the risk of major birth defects, according to two new studies.

Both are often prescribed to pregnant women. Some studies have linked them with certain birth defects,...

Fetal Surgery Is Changing Lives for Kids With Spina Bifida

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• February 10, 2021
• Full Page

Spina bifida is a diagnosis no parents-to-be want to hear as they await their child's birth, and the idea of performing surgery on a baby while it is still in the womb can be terrifying. But new research shows that performing the delicate procedure before the baby is born, and...

Kids With Congenital Heart Disease Face Higher Odds of Mental Health Issues

• Denise Mann
• January 5, 2021
• Full Page

Kids born with heart defects may be more likely to develop anxiety, depression and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), regardless of the severity of their heart condition.

Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect in the United Sta...

Gene Therapy Shows No Long-Term Harm in Animals: Study

• Cara Murez
• December 11, 2020
• Full Page

Results from a long-term study of a gene therapy technique to prevent inherited mitochondrial disease show promise, researchers say.

Studies of the technique at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland show no adverse health effects in rhesus macaque monkeys and th...

Many Breast Cancer Survivors Have Healthy Babies: Study

• Cara Murez
• December 9, 2020
• Full Page

When a young woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, many questions go through her mind.

What treatments does she need? Will she survive? And will she still be able to have a baby?

In a review of recent research, an international team of investigators say the answe...

Birth Defects Tied to Rise in Lifelong Cancer Risk

• Robert Preidt
• December 3, 2020
• Full Page

Major birth defects are associated with an increased, lifelong risk of cancer, researchers say.

It has been known that people with major birth defects have a greater risk of developing cancer as children and teens, but it wasn't clear whether the risk extends into adulth...

COVID in Pregnancy Won't Affect Obstetric Outcomes: Study

• Steven Reinberg
• November 19, 2020
• Full Page

Pregnant women with COVID-19 have little risk of developing severe symptoms, as do their newborns, a new study finds.

In fact, 95% of these women have good outcomes, and just 3% of their babies test positive for COVID-19, researchers say.

"For 5% of COVID-19-positi...

Heart Defects Don't Increase Risk of Severe COVID-19

• Robert Preidt
• October 16, 2020
• Full Page

In what will come as reassuring news to those who were born with a heart defect, new research finds these people aren't at increased risk for moderate or severe COVID-19.

The study included more than 7,000 adults and children who were born with a heart defect (congen...

Zika Epidemic Was More Widespread Than Thought: Study

• Robert Preidt
• October 8, 2020
• Full Page

The Zika epidemic, which began as a mosquito-borne viral infection and led to severe birth defects, affected far more people than previously thought, new research shows.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from 15 countries and territories in South America, Cent...

Genetics Might Explain Some Cases of Cerebral Palsy

• Robert Preidt
• October 1, 2020
• Full Page

Genetic problems cause about 14% of cerebral palsy cases, and many of the implicated genes control the wiring of brain circuits during early fetal development, new research shows.

The largest genetic study of cerebral palsy supports previous findings and provides...

Common Heart Defect Limits Exercise Ability: Study

• Steven Reinberg
• September 23, 2020
• Full Page

People born with a hole in their heart may lose 20% or more of their exercise capacity as they age, even if the defect is repaired.

A ventricular septal defect is a hole in the wall separating the heart's pumping chambers. It can be surgically closed or left alo...

Narcolepsy Drug Doesn't Raise Odds for Birth Defects: Study

• Robert Preidt
• September 4, 2020
• Full Page

The narcolepsy medicine modafinil doesn't appear to increase the risk of birth defects, according to a new study that contradicts earlier research.

"This study is based on twice as many pregnancies as earlier studies, and we find no increase in the risk of malformati...

Study Zeroes in on How Zika Virus Is Passed From Mom to Fetus

• Robert Preidt
• September 1, 2020
• Full Page

New insight into how pregnant women can pass the Zika virus to their fetus could point to ways to prevent it, researchers say.

Babies infected with Zika in the womb can have abnormally small heads (microcephaly) and other birth defects.

In this study, resea...

Lupus Drug Prevents Low Heartbeat in High-Risk Newborns: Study

• Robert Preidt
• July 17, 2020
• Full Page

A drug used to treat lupus and malaria -- hydroxychloroquine -- reduced by half the risk of a potentially fatal heart condition in newborns who were at high risk for it.

The condition -- known as congenital heart block (CHB) -- results in a dangerously low heart rate...

Artificial Heart Valve Would Grow With Kids, Cutting Need for Repeat Surgeries

• Robert Preidt
• February 19, 2020
• Full Page

An expandable artificial heart valve could save children with congenital heart disease from repeated open heart surgeries as they grow up, researchers report.

Current artificial heart valves are fixed in size, meaning children need to get larger ones as they grow. C...

AHA News: Baby Born With 'One-of-a-Kind' Heart Receives Transplant

• February 11, 2020
• Full Page

When a test showed a dangerous drop in the heart rate of Courtney Agnoli's unborn daughter, the doctor who urgently admitted her to the hospital said, "You aren't leaving here without a baby."

Doctors had already identified two critical congenital heart defects that...

AHA News: For Kids With Heart Defects, the Hospital Near Mom May Matter

• February 10, 2020
• Full Page

Heart problems are often associated with older people. But every year about 1 in 110 children in the United States are born with congenital heart disease, which include a variety of defects ranging from holes in the heart to malformed or missing valves and chambers.

How Mom-to-Be's Worry Over Birth Defects Can Harm Baby

• Robert Preidt
• January 17, 2020
• Full Page

Hearing that your unborn baby has congenital heart disease can be traumatic, but now new research suggests that if you experience stress, anxiety or depression afterward it could affect your baby's brain development.

Congenital heart disease (structural problems with...

AHA News: Baby Survived 27 Minutes Without a Heartbeat

• January 16, 2020
• Full Page

Britt Spivey knew something was wrong when his pregnant wife showed up at his work following what was supposed to be a routine doctor visit. Autumn started to cry and told him their unborn child had a heart defect. They needed to go to Texas Children's Hospital in nearby Houst...

Zika Damage Showing Up in Babies Deemed 'Normal' at Birth

• Robert Preidt
• January 10, 2020
• Full Page

Some infants who appear healthy at birth after being exposed to the Zika virus in the womb develop neurological problems during their first year of life, a new study finds.

The study included pregnant women in Colombia who were exposed to Zika and had fetal MRIs and ...

Uncontrolled Asthma a Danger to Pregnant Women, Babies

• Robert Preidt
• December 3, 2019
• Full Page

Poorly controlled asthma during pregnancy puts mothers and their babies at increased risk for serious complications, a new study finds.

Researchers analyzed more than 100,000 pregnancies in more than 58,000 women with asthma in Canada.

Compared to those who...

Moms' Weight-Loss Surgery Tied to Lower Risk of Birth Defects

• Robert Preidt
• October 16, 2019
• Full Page

Weight-loss surgery before pregnancy may lower obese women's odds of having a baby with major birth defects, new research suggests.

For the study, the researchers examined data on more than 33,000 births in Sweden between 2007 and 2014.

Of these, nearly 3,...

Trying to Conceive? Both Dad and Mom Should Give Up Drinking in Months Before

• Steven Reinberg
• October 4, 2019
• Full Page

Women have long been told to cut out drinking if they are pregnant or think they might become pregnant.

But a new study suggests that men hoping to become fathers should also stay away from alcohol for at least six months before trying to conceive.

If would...

Toes Become Fingers in the Brains of 'Foot Painters'

• Serena Gordon
• September 11, 2019
• Full Page

If you use your feet like hands from birth, the brain will create a different "map" of the toes that's more like the one it has for the fingers, new research reveals.

That's the case with Tom Yendell and Peter Longstaff, two foot artists in the United Kingdom who we...

Older Parents May Have Better Behaved Kids

• Serena Gordon
• July 31, 2019
• Full Page

Many people wait until they're older to have children, and that decision can raise the risk of problems like infertility and genetic abnormalities. But new research suggests there may be at least one benefit to having children later in life.

The study found that kids...

Some Women Still Getting Pregnant While on Acne Drug Tied to Birth Defects

• Robert Preidt
• July 22, 2019
• Full Page

Hundreds of pregnancies still occur every year among U.S. women taking an acne medication that carries a high risk of birth defects, a new study finds.

"While the number of pregnancies among patients taking isotretinoin is low, even 200 pregnancies is too high," said...

Zika's Damage Continues in Children Infected Before Birth

• Robert Preidt
• July 9, 2019
• Full Page

New research shows that neurological damage for babies who were exposed to the Zika virus while in the womb continues to unfold years after birth.

Developmental problems were found in one-third of the 216 children studied, some of whom were 3 years old. The problems...

Surgery Helps Babies Missing a Heart Chamber Survive, But Problems Linger

• Robert Preidt
• July 2, 2019
• Full Page

When babies are born without one heart chamber, a special surgery can save their lives. But a new study shows that these patients face lifelong health issues that require special care.

Still, a new American Heart Association (AHA) scientific statement says, they can...

How Do Birth Defects Affect Childhood Cancer Risk?

• Robert Preidt
• June 20, 2019
• Full Page

Children with birth defects may be at increased risk for childhood cancer, a new study finds.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 10 million children born in Texas, Arkansas, Michigan and North Carolina between 1992 and 2013.

Compared to children witho...

More Women Using Pot During Pregnancy, Despite Potential Harms to Baby

• E.J. Mundell
• June 18, 2019
• Full Page

As laws around marijuana relax nationwide and the drug becomes more popular, American women are increasingly using pot during pregnancy, a new study finds.

The study was based on data from more than 467,000 women collected between 2002 and 2017. The researchers found...

Having an Extra Finger Can Come in Handy

• Alan Mozes
• June 7, 2019
• Full Page

Though rare, some children are born with an extra finger, a condition known as polydactyly.

Now, for the first time, a team of researchers set out to see whether having this extra appendage is somehow beneficial.

The answer is yes.

The bottom line...

Testicular Cancer Treatment Unlikely to Trigger Birth Defects

• Steven Reinberg
• June 4, 2019
• Full Page

New research should reassure dads-to-be who've had testicular cancer that treatment with radiation or chemotherapy doesn't raise the risk of fathering babies with birth defects.

"Our research set out to investigate whether treatment for the most common cancer among y...

About 1 in 1,000 Babies Born 'Intersex,' Study Finds

• Robert Preidt
• May 3, 2019
• Full Page

Cases in which a newborn's genitals make it unclear whether the child is a boy or girl may be more common than once believed, researchers say.

One example of what's known as ambiguous genitalia is a baby girl with an enlarged clitoris that looks more like a small pen...

1 in 9 U.S. Women Drink During Pregnancy, and Numbers Are Rising

• E.J. Mundell
• April 25, 2019
• Full Page

Even though the harms to babies are well known, one in nine pregnant women in the United States drinks alcohol, new research shows.

In one-third of those cases, frequent binge drinking is also often involved.

What's more, the rate of drinking during pregnan...

Legacy of Gulf War Deployment: Higher Risk of Minor Birth Defects

• Robert Preidt
• April 16, 2019
• Full Page

Here's bad news for some women in the military: An increased risk of minor birth defects was found among U.S. female veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War.

Researchers examined data on minor and major birth defects among 788 children born to 522 Gulf War-era female and ma...

AHA News: Couple Kept the Faith as Baby Neared Death -- and Then a Transplant Saved Him

• April 2, 2019
• Full Page

Rikki and Greg Myers were excited to hear whether their first child would be a boy or a girl. They were hosting Thanksgiving and wanted to reveal the gender then.

Yet when the doctor spoke, the only words that mattered were, "Your baby has formed only half a heart."...

Smoking Around Expectant Moms Can Harm Babies' Hearts

• Robert Preidt
• March 25, 2019
• Full Page

Fathers-to-be who expose their pregnant partners to secondhand smoke put their babies at risk of heart defects, researchers warn.

For the new study, investigators in China reviewed 125 studies that included a total of nearly 9 million pros...

Newborn Heart Problems Surged After Fukushima Nuke Disaster: Study

• Robert Preidt
• March 13, 2019
• Full Page

There was a significant increase in the number of infants in Japan who had surgery for complex congenital heart disease after the nuclear accident in Fukushima, a new study finds.

The disaster happened in March 2011 after a tsunami and earthquake hit the Fukushima Da...

How Soon Should You Conceive After a Stillbirth?

• Robert Preidt
• March 1, 2019
• Full Page

Women who get pregnant within a year of stillbirth have no higher risk of another stillbirth or other complications than those who wait at least two years, a new study says.

The World Health Organization recommends women wait at least two years after a live birth and...

AHA News: Kids With Heart Defects Joined Jackie Kennedy, LBJ to Raise Awareness

• February 27, 2019
• Full Page

On Feb. 1, 1961, twins Debbie and Donna Horst arrived at the White House to fanfare. The 6-year-olds, decked out in fancy dresses and satin sashes, found themselves surrounded by a pressing crowd and a sea of blinding flashbulbs as they made their way to see Jacqueline Kennedy...

Common Yeast Infection Treatment Tied to Miscarriage, Birth Defects

• Steven Reinberg
• February 19, 2019
• Full Page

A new study throws serious doubt on the safety of using a common yeast infection treatment during pregnancy.

Fluconazole (Diflucan) is a prescribed pill used to treat yeast infections. However, Canadian research now suggests its use greatly raises a pregnant woman's ...

Climate Change Could Bring More Infant Heart Defects: Study

• Robert Preidt
• January 30, 2019
• Full Page

Climate change could lead to more U.S. babies born with congenital heart defects, researchers say.

Specifically, they concluded that hotter temperatures may lead to as many as 7,000 additional cases between 2025 and 2035 in eight representative states: Arkansas, Texa...

Someday, a Pig's Heart Might Save a Child's Life

• Amy Norton
• January 28, 2019
• Full Page

The supply of donor organs for infants needing a heart transplant is critically low, but researchers have taken a first step toward using pig hearts to fill the need.

The concept of using animal organs to save human lives has been around for years. With donor organs ...

Opioid Use in Pregnancy Tied to Severe Birth Defects

• Steven Reinberg
• January 17, 2019
• Full Page

More American infants are being born with their intestines outside of their bodies, and the disturbing trend might be linked to the opioid crisis, health officials reported Thursday.

The condition, called gastroschisis, is caused by a hole beside the belly button. T...

Use of Common Epilepsy Drug in Pregnancy Tied to ADHD in Kids

• E.J. Mundell
• January 4, 2019
• Full Page

When a woman with epilepsy uses the anti-seizure drug valproate during a pregnancy, the odds that her baby will go on to develop ADHD rise, a new study suggests.

The Danish report can't prove that valproate causes attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in t...