In pregnant women with pre-eclampsia, indoor pollution from cooking fumes can increase the risk of having a seizure and dying.
- 40,000 French women are affected each year according to Inserm, but the disease remains very little known.
- However, it can lead to the death of the mother and the fetus. Pre-eclampsia is the second leading cause of maternal mortality in France.
About 5% of pregnancies are accompanied by pre-eclampsia, according to National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). It’s about a complication occurring during the last trimester of pregnancy, with no known predisposing factor. The manifestations are high blood pressure – which can lead to life-threatening attacks – and high albuminuria, a kidney problem.
More polluting home cooking in low- and middle-income countries
“Home cooking and household pollution can increase the risk of seizures, explains Andrew Shennan, one of the authors of a study on this subject published in the journal International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, in a communicated. We think that [dans cette situation]there is less oxygen reaching the mother’s brain, which can trigger a seizure in women who already have pre-eclampsia“.
Indeed, during their study, the scientists proved that exposure to indoor household pollution from cooking at home was associated with greater risks among pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries. In the latter, cooking and heating use more polluting fuels such as coal.
Link between pre-eclampsia and pollution linked to toxic fumes
To reach this conclusion, the researchers analyzed data from more than 2,690 women with pre-eclampsia in Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Thus, they observed that there was a correlation between the number of women with pre-eclampsia and the number of deaths related to indoor household pollution from toxic fumes from cooking food.
This correlation was even greater when the seizures due to pre-eclampsia occurred at home. “This only occurs in 1% of women with pre-eclampsia, says Andrew Shennan. [Cette découverte] could explain observed inequalities in maternal health care in low- and middle-income countries“.
94% of maternal deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries
This same team of researchers had already proven that 94% of maternal deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries. And, of these, 22% were due to high blood pressure such as pre-eclampsia causes.
“Knowing why women experience these severe consequences allows us to reduce the risk [lié à la pré-éclampsie] and determine how to save livesassures Andrew Shennan. We have extensive work programs in India, Sierra Leone and Zambia, where many women have complications from high blood pressure. Our current research aims to identify women at risk, but we are now looking at ways to reduce risk, including early birth. This data will help us give advice to avoid risks at home”.
In the future, the researchers plan to continue their research to see if climate change increases the prevalence and mortality of pre-eclampsia in pregnant women.
