Here's another compelling reason to get a flu shot: New research suggests getting the flu during pregnancy may increase your child's risk of seizures.
During pregnancy, the mother's immune system is weakened and she is more susceptible to infections. These infections can cross the placenta and harm the baby, causing serious problems such as stillbirth, birth defects, premature birth, or health problems in the newborn such as breathing problems, brain damage, and poor growth.
latest study Research published in the Jama Network looked at how a mother's flu infection during pregnancy affects her child's risk of developing different types of seizures in childhood.
one epilepsy It is a sudden surge in uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain that causes temporary changes in muscle movement, behavior, sensation, or consciousness.
Researchers specifically studied 1,316,107 mother-child pairs and examined the risk of epilepsy and febrile (fever-related) seizures. Of the 75,835 offspring whose mothers were infected with influenza during pregnancy, 3.2% developed seizures during follow-up.
After accounting for factors that may have affected the results, the researchers found that children whose mothers had the flu during pregnancy had a 9 percent increased risk of various types of seizures compared with mothers who did not have the flu. The risk of febrile seizures was slightly higher at 11%, while the risk of epilepsy increased by a non-significant 4%.
The study also pointed out that the prevalence of placenta previa or premature placental separation was slightly higher in the influenza group compared with the control group (1.6% vs. 1.4%).
“The results of this cohort study suggest that maternal influenza infection during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of childhood seizures, particularly febrile seizures, but not epilepsy,” the researchers wrote. “Further research is needed to elucidate childhood neurodevelopment potential mechanism.
earlier Research Research shows that getting a flu shot during pregnancy not only protects the mother from infection during and after pregnancy, but also protects the baby in the first few months of life. one study Research since 2013 shows that vaccination reduced the risk of influenza infection in pregnant women by up to 50% during the 2010 to 2012 flu season. other study In 2018, it was found that getting the flu vaccine reduced a pregnant woman's risk of hospitalization due to the flu by 40%. It also helps protect newborns from flu-related illness and avoid hospitalization if they are too young to receive the vaccine.