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| The amount of rainfall affects the number of infant infections leading to hydrocephalus in Uganda. CREDIT: Steven Schiff, Penn State |
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before and after the rain seasons peak in Uganda, cases of infection-caused
hydrocephalus in infants spike, according to a study that shows how certain
climate conditions can drive the spread of contagions. "Hydrocephalus is
the first major neurosurgical condition linked to climate," Steven J.
Schiff, the director of the Penn State Center for Neural Engineering, said in a
statement. "This means that a substantial component of these cases are almost
certainly driven from the environmental conditions, and that means they are
potentially preventable if we understand the routes and mechanisms of infection
better."
The
disorder is characterized by the build-up of brain fluid, which can lead to
damaging or fatal brain swelling. There are believed to be more than 100,000
cases of post-infectious hydrocephalus each year in sub-Saharan Africa, the
majority of which occur in newborns who had suffered from neonatal sepsis,
researchers say.
For
this study, Schiff and colleagues tracked 696 hydrocephalus cases in Ugandan
infants between 2000 and 2005. For the same time frame, the team analyzed
rainfall data obtained through National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) weather satellites. Hydrocephalus cases rose significantly at four
different times throughout the year — before and after the peak of both the
spring and fall rainy seasons, when the amount of rainfall was at intermediate
levels, or about 6 inches (15 centimeters) per month, the researchers said.
Though
the full spectrum of bacteria causing hydrocephalus in so many infants is not
known, the team noted that the weather affects conditions supporting bacterial
growth, and that the amount of rain can reduce bacterial infections. The study
was detailed in a recent issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.
Source: Live Science
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