The Relation of Maternal Diet to Hemorrhage in the New-Born

Abstract

The etiology of hemorrhage in the new-born, except in cases of hemorrhagic disease, is one of the puzzling problems of medicine. Whenever such hemorrhage occurs, trauma or syphilis is suspected, but frequently autopsy does not reveal either of these. In animals such causes are eliminated a priori. Hence, on discovering cerebral hemorrhage in young rats, it seemed expedient to make a biologic study of this subject.In our laboratory it has been found that certain synthetic diets containing a limited amount of vitamin B apparently are associated with hemorrhage, whereas stock diets are not. Female rats fed from the time of weaning on the minimum amount of vitamin B necessary for normal growth and conception, are unable usually to deliver and carry their young through the lactation period. None of the mothers have shown signs of avitaminosis unless excessive hemorrhage at delivery is considered an indication of this condition. Although a rat normally delivers her young without visible loss of blood, a number of mothers on this diet have died from hemorrhage, and many others have soaked their bedding during parturition. The ultimate penalty of an inadequate maternal diet, however, is vicariously paid by the young. With limited vitamin in the food of the mothers, one of three conditions results : ( 1 ) abortions or absorp¬ tions of the embryos, (2) death of the young at birth or (3) death during the nursing period. The deaths occurring at birth or during the first few days of life are characterized by hemorrhages varying in volume and location ; a certain number of those occurring during the second week exhibit, in addition, marked emaciation, gastric stasis and myelin degeneration of the vagus and phrenic nerves. Occasionally, after the first stage of paralysis has developed, one or two out of a litter are strong enough to eat from the mother's ration, and these usually recover.The majority of deaths occur at approximately twenty-one days, when weaning should normally take place. For a day or two before their

Hemorrhagic Disease of Newborn

“…He concluded that since ultra violet light tends to conserve at least one vitamine, thHt it is quite possible that the lack of prot:tJ.rombin is brought about by a lack of vitamine B. in the infant's blood. It has been shown (23). experimentally in rats, that !.…”

Consumption habits of pregnant women and implications for developmental biology: a survey of predominantly Hispanic women in California

“…Studies investigating the impact of prenatal diet on the offspring date back to the 1920’s [4], and many deleterious effects of poor diet have been reported in the literature. Reduced maternal nutrition has been associated with hypertension and altered nephrogenesis in the offspring [5,6].…”