Climate change is melting ice, intensifying storms and killing coral reefs. Now, a new study suggests it may also affect babies' hearts.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, suggests that by 2025, heat extreme weather caused by climate change could increase the number of babies born with diseases cardiac.
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It's not clear why exposing a pregnant woman to heat could lead to a congenital heart defect in a baby, but animal studies suggest that high temperatures can cause cell death in fetuses and interact with heat-sensitive proteins, which are important in development, according to the statement.
An earlier study by the same group of researchers found that women's exposure to high temperatures during pregnancy was linked to an increased risk of congenital heart defects in babies. The study included women who gave birth between 1997 and 2007.
In this new study, the researchers combine this data with projections of climate change.
The team relied on predictions of climate change collected by NASA and the Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
“While this study is preliminary, it would be prudent for women in the first few weeks of pregnancy to avoid environments with extreme heat, similar advice given people with cardiovascular and pulmonary disease during heart attacks," said Dr. Shao Lin, director of environmental health services at the University of Albany.
It's especially important for those planning to become pregnant or those who are three to eight weeks pregnant to avoid extreme heat, he said.