Articolo speciale
Sostenere la salute riproduttiva per ridurre i difetti congeniti e la prematurità: un appuntamento importante
Supporting reproductive health to reduce birth defects and prematurity: an important date
Luca Marchetto1, Alessandra Compagni1, Francesca Filippini1, Erika Rigotti1, Eleonora Agricola2, Stefania Ruggeri3, Alberto Eugenio Tozzi2, Renata Bortolus1, Pierpaolo Mastroiacovo4
1Ufficio Promozione della Ricerca, Dipartimento Direzione Medica Ospedaliera e Farmacia, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona; 2IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Roma; 3Consiglio per la Ricerca e la sperimentazione in Agricoltura (CRA-NUT), Roma; 4Alessandra Lisi International Centre on Birth Defects and Prematurity-ICBD, WHO collaborating Centre, Roma
Maggio 2014 - pagg. 299 -303
Abstract
Birth defects and prematurity are relatively common events. In Italy they affect approximately
90,000 infants every year and are a leading cause of infant mortality. Babies
who survive and live with birth defects have an increased risk of developing many lifelong
physical, cognitive, and social challenges. The risk for many types of birth defects and prematurity
can be reduced through healthy lifestyle choices and medical interventions before
and during pregnancy. In 2010 WHO officially recognized that interventions to promote
maternal and child health begin before pregnancy, stressing the importance of preconception
period in the prevention of birth defects and reproduction adverse outcomes.
Awareness efforts offer hope for reducing the number of birth defects and prematurity in
the future. It is essential to support reproductive health and draw the attention of the population
and health care professionals to the possibilities of primary prevention of congenital
defects and prematurity that nowadays have become available thanks to research. In
particular, in Italy there are several projects committed to preconception health, the implementation
of which has resulted in the development of dedicated websites and the production
of promotional material. 50% of births come from couples that already have a
child. Therefore, the paediatrician is the clinician who has more contacts with women of
childbearing age. Paediatric clinicians have to reconsider their role in promoting reproductive
and preconceptional health, assuming leader positions in the efforts to reduce
birth defects and prematurity.
Parole chiave
Suggerite dall'AI
Classificazione MeSH
Contenuto riservato
Per leggere l'articolo completo è necessario effettuare il login.
Non sei ancora registrato? Registrati
Bibliografia
1. Mastroiacovo P. La promozione della salute
riproduttiva. Prospettive in Pediatria 2012;42:
243-52.
2. Mastroiacovo P, Baronciani D, Bortolus R.
Prevenzione primaria degli esiti avversi della
riproduzione attraverso la promozione della
salute preconcezionale. Quaderni acp 2010;17:
148-53.
3. WHO. Packages of interventions for family
planning, safe abortion care, maternal, newborn
and child health. Geneva: World Health
Organization, 2010.
4. Health Council of the Netherlands. Preconception
care: a good beginning. The Hague:
Health Council of the Netherlands, 2007.
5. Weggemans RM, Schaafsma G, Kromhout
D; Health Council of the Netherlands. Towards
an optimal use of folic acid: an advisory
report of the Health Council of the Netherlands.
Eur J Clin Nutr 2009;63:1034-6.
6. Jack BW, Atrash H. Preconception health
and health care: the clinical content of preconception
care. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008;
199:257-395.
7. Berghella V, Buchanan E, Pereira L, Baxter
JK. Preconception care. Obstet Gynecol Surv
2010;65:119-31.
8. Seshadri S, Oakeshott P, Nelson-Piercy C,
Chappell LC. Prepregnancy care. BMJ 2012;
344:e3467.
9. Pensiamoci Prima. www.pensiamociprima.
net, 2011.
10. ISTAT. Cause di morte: Tavola 15 “Morti
nel primo anno di vità per cause ed età: maschi
e femmine”. Roma: ISTAT, 2012.
11. Muscat M, Zimmerman L, Bacci S, et al.;
EUVAC.NET Group. Toward rubella elimination
in Europe: an epidemiological assessment.
Vaccine 2012;30:1999-2007.
12. De-Regil LM, Fernandez-Gaxiola AC,
Dowswell T, Pena-Rosas JP. Effects and safety
of periconceptional folate supplementation for
preventing birth defects. Cochrane Database
Syst Rev 2010;(10):CD007950.
13. Prick BW, Hop WC, Duvekot JJ. Maternal
phenylketonuria and hyperphenylalaninemia
in pregnancy: pregnancy complications and
neonatal sequelae in untreated and treated
pregnancies. Am J Clin Nutr 2012;95:374-82.
14. Cheng TL, Kotelchuck M, Guyer B. Preconception
women’s health and pediatrics: an
opportunity to address infant mortality and
family health. Acad Pediatr 2012;12:357-9.
Corrispondenza: renata.bortolus@ospedaleuniverona.it