Recently, the research team of Professor Zhupeng from School of Public Health of AHMU has published a paper titled Prenatal Exposure to Air Pollution and Pre-Labor Rupture of Membranes in a Prospective Cohort Study: the Role of Maternal Hemoglobin and Iron Supplementation in the top-tier environmental health journal, Environmental Health Perspectives (IF=11.035). Wu Lin, a master student of AHMU, and Yin Wanjun, a doctoral student, are the first authors of the paper, and Professor Zhupeng is the corresponding author. AHMU is the first author’s affiliation.
The global incidence rate of prelabor rupture of membranes (PROM) is between 3% and 21%. As a common complication during pregnancy, it can lead to maternal mortality and preterm birth, posing a serious threat to maternal and infant health. Previous studies have shown that prenatal exposure to air pollution increases the risk of PROM. However, the exposure window period, potential pathways, and intervention measures are still unclear. The findings of this study suggest that adequate iron supplementation can improve PROM caused by air pollution exposure.
This study is based on the Maternal and Infant Health cohort study in Hefei (MIH-Hefei) established by the research team. It found that exposure to environmental air pollution (PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and CO) during pregnancy weeks 21-24 significantly increases the risk of PROM. The decrease in hemoglobin levels and impaired immune function are important biological pathways related to this association. Further analysis revealed that anemic pregnant women can improve hemoglobin levels and reduce PROM caused by moderate to low levels of air pollution through iron supplementation. However, the benefits of iron supplementation are limited for PROM caused by high levels of air pollution. This study reveals the exposure window period and potential biological pathways of PROM caused by prenatal exposure to air pollution and suggests that supplementing with appropriate iron may be an effective intervention measure, providing new insights into reducing the incidence of PROM.