1142 AMNIOTIC FLUID INFECTIONS, HYPERBILIRUBINEMIA & BRAIN DAMAGE

Abstract

The study analyzed acute amniotic fluid infections as a possible cause of brain damage using data from a prospective study of 53,518 pregnancies in which the offspring were followed to eight years of age. Acute inflammation of the subchorionic plate of the placenta, a marker for amniotic fluid infections was associated with increasing neurotoxicity as serum bilirubin levels rose in the neonatal period.

The frequency of the retardation increased as the chorionitis became more severe. Significant neurologic abnormalities began at peak neonatal bilirubin levels of 13-16 mg/dl in the infected and at 17 mg/dl in the noninfected. 24 different medical, social and demographic factors that can affect psychomotor development were found not responsible for the impairment associated with the chorionitis and hyperbilirubinemia. The proportion of cases who were infected increased as neonatal bilirubin levels increased so the brain damage may have been due either to the infections or an interaction of the infections with hyperbilirubinemia.

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