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Climate change-related heat increases the risk of premature birth in 13 countries – new study

(Version anglaise seulement)

par Dominic Royé, Investigador Ramon y Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Ana M Vicedo-Cabrera, Head Climate Change & Health research group, University of Bern
Aurelio Tobias, Associate professor, Instituto de Diagnóstico Ambiental y Estudios del Agua (IDAEA - CSIC)
Carmen Íñiguez, Profesora en el Departamento de Estadística e Investigación Operativa, Universitat de València
Coral Salvador, Senior Research Assistant, University of Bern

Picture a sweltering summer’s day. Now imagine enduring the heat while eight months pregnant. Uncomfortable, to say the absolute least.

But in pregnancy, heat is more than just a nuisance, as for many women it can trigger early labour. A premature baby – meaning one born before 37 weeks of gestation – faces a significantly higher risk of mortality, as well as health complications that can affect them for the rest of their lives.

Decades of research has documented the link between exposure to heat and preterm births. However, most studies have been limited to a single city…

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