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Press Releases Saturday 28 November 1998
No 7171 Volume 317

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(1) CHRISTMAS TRAVELLERS ARE WARNED OF MALARIA RISKS

(2) EARLY NUTRITION IN BABIES MAY HAVE LONG TERM
EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN

(1) CHRISTMAS TRAVELLERS ARE WARNED OF MALARIA RISKS

(Malaria at Christmas: risks of prophylaxis versus risks of malaria)
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/317/7171/1506

People planning to travel to malarial areas during their Christmas break are
warned in this week�s BMJ to seek expert advice now on which malaria drugs
are most effective for the region they are visiting, and to ensure that they
comply with this advice.

In their paper, Dr Andrew Reid and colleagues from the Hospital for Tropical
Diseases in London report that there was an increase in the number of cases
of severe malaria in the UK at the beginning of this year. On investigating
these severe cases, they found that 76 per cent of patients had taken inadequate
doses of prophylactic drugs or none at all. The cost to the NHS for treating these
patients in intensive care facilities was £160,000 (19 patients).

The authors conclude that the decision travellers make about antimalaria drugs
is often based on �folklore� rather than on sound medical advice. They advise
that those planning to holiday in malarial areas this Christmas should seek
guidance on the pros and cons of the prophylactic regimens available from
informed professionals only.

Contact:

Professor David Mabey,
Professor in Communicable Diseases,
Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London
email: d.mabey{at}lshtm.ac.uk

(2) EARLY NUTRITION IN BABIES MAY HAVE LONG TERM
EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN

(Randomised trial of early diet in preterm babies and later
intelligence quotient)
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/317/7171/1481

In a paper in this week�s BMJ, Professor Alan Lucas and colleagues from the
Medical Research Council Childhood Nutrition Research Centre at the
Institute of Child Health, demonstrate for the first time that early
nutrition can significantly influence mental ability in later life.

In their study of 360 babies born prematurely (preterm), the authors found
that those infants fed standard preterm formula milk, rather than a
nutrient enriched formula, had reduced verbal IQ scores when they reached
seven to eight years of age. This phenomenon was particularly evident in
boys. Lucas et al also found, rather unexpectedly, that cerebral palsy was
more prevalent in those infants fed the standard formula milk. They stress
that under-nutrition does not seem to be the cause of this condition, but
that it may prevent the brain compensating for an adverse event (such as a
period of inadequate oxygen supply) which can cause cerebral palsy.

Their study is the first formal trial of its size to be undertaken in the
developed world. Previous studies of this kind have either been undertaken
with rodents, for which the results are not necessarily meaningful for
humans, or with people in the developing world, where social circumstances
may have confounded results.

Lucas et al conclude that their study provides the most compelling data in
humans to date, that early nutrition during a brief period of a child�s
development, can have lifetime effects on health and performance. They
therefore stress that avoiding under-nutrition in sick preterm infants
seems to be important in optimising the development of the human brain.

Contact:

James Yeandel,
Press Office, Medical Research Council,
20 Park Crescent,
London W1
email: james.yeandel{at}headoffice.mrc.ac.uk

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