You may have heard of the various health benefits of Omega 3s, the fatty acids commonly found in fish, such as better heart health and a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. But did you know that a particular Omega 3 given to preterm babies may actually make them smarter?

Docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, is essential for brain development. Babies ordinarily receive DHA from their mother while in utero, but for babies born prematurely, this supply of DHA is cut off early.

Preterm babies receive some DHA through breastmilk and formula, but less than they would normally receive through the placenta – meaning that these babies may be lacking an important nutrient at a time of rapid brain development.

Researchers set out to determine if supplementing these tiny babies with DHA to the same amount they would have received in utero would lead to better developmental outcomes, such as a higher IQ and fewer behavioural problems.

Supported by a Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation research grant, along with funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Dr Jacqueline Gould of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) Women and Kids theme led the study.

The study involved infants born at less than 29 weeks gestational age at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and nine other Australian hospitals with neonatal units. Half of the babies were randomised to receive DHA supplementation and half received a placebo as part of a trial exploring the effect of DHA on lung health. Families were followed up when the babies turned five years of age to undergo IQ testing and have parents complete a survey of behavioural and emotional functioning and child health.

Dr Jacqueline Gould.

Dr Gould says, “More than half of infants born extremely preterm have some form of neurobehavioural disability, such as a behavioural problem or learning disorder.”

“The goal of our research was to test if supplementing these children with DHA after they’re born can make up for some of what they lacked due to preterm birth and boost brain development.”

They found that the babies who received DHA supplementation were behaviourally no different to those who did not at five years of age, although they did have a slightly higher IQ (a mean difference of 3.5 points). They also showed that the babies who received DHA did not have any difference in long-term respiratory or other health problems, providing some reassurance that supplementing babies may be safe.

Findings have been published in high ranking medical journals, the New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA Pediatrics.

Future research will aim to confirm the safety of DHA supplementation before it is recommended as a standard treatment for preterm babies.

Dr Gould says, “Thanks to the support of the WCH Foundation, we were able to assess the long-term effects of the DHA supplementation on the behaviour and health of the preterm children born in Australia.”

“Importantly, WCH Foundation funding allowed us to involve families that were not eligible for the IQ assessment, or who were unable to attend an IQ assessment due to COVID restrictions.”

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Catching COVID-19 or the flu is never fun – but it’s even worse when symptoms persist. While we know a lot about the acute effects of COVID-19 and influenza, we have less understanding of the long-term consequences, especially in children and adolescents.

Dr Mark McMillan, a Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Adelaide and Women’s and Children’s Hospital, hopes to change that by investigating the long-term effects of respiratory infections like COVID-19 and the flu in children and adolescents.

The rise in COVID-19 cases around Christmas, and a 2023 flu season on par with pre-pandemic levels, reminds us that these infectious diseases are out in force. We are increasingly aware of the persistent symptoms that can follow a COVID-19 infection, often called long COVID. The World Health Organization defines long COVID as symptoms that start after the initial infection and persist for at least two months, without an alternative diagnosis. Long COVID can occur in people of any age, including children and adolescents, and can include a wide range of symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog and shortness of breath. While the flu can also lead to long-term conditions in adults, its impact on younger populations is unclear.

Dr McMillan says, “In Australia, there is no comprehensive system for gathering data on long COVID in children, which is crucial for informing clinical management and shaping vaccine guidelines.”

This gap in data is particularly concerning given that long COVID can affect children’s learning and overall quality of life during their critical developmental years.

Dr McMillan will begin recruiting for the ‘Children and Adolescents: Respiratory Infection and Long-Term Effects (CARE) Study’ in early 2024. He will be contacting parents of children and adolescents aged up to 17 years who have recently had a COVID-19 or an influenza infection to take part. Participants will complete an initial online survey about their infection, and follow-up surveys over the course of 12 months about any ongoing symptoms and how they may be impacting on health and quality of life. The information collected will provide vital evidence to inform better management and treatment of the long-term effects of COVID-19 and influenza in children and adolescents in the future.

This research is made possible through the generosity of WCH Foundation supporters. If you would like to help improve the health and lives of women, children and families in South Australia, donate to support WCH Foundation research today.

Making the decision to start a family can be a joyous and exciting time. But for women with chronic kidney disease, the decision can be complicated and risky.

“Can I have a baby? Should I have a baby? And what risk does pregnancy pose to my baby, my kidneys and my health?”

The answers to these questions can be difficult to find, and in some cases are provided too late, putting both mother and baby at risk of complications such as preterm birth, high blood pressure, and the deterioration of kidney function. Dr Nishanta Tangirala (pictured above right with Professor Helen Siobhan Marshall AM) is a Consultant Nephrologist, Obstetric Medicine Fellow, and WCH Foundation Masters by Research scholarship recipient working with the Pregnancy Kidney Research Australia group. She hopes to answer these important questions so that clinicians can better support mothers and their families when making this life-changing decision.

The lack of research in this space means there is little guidance for clinicians caring for women with chronic kidney disease who are planning pregnancy. Dr Tangirala’s project will look at the decision-making process for mothers and clinicians embarking on this journey, with a particular focus on the perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, who are more likely to live with chronic kidney disease. She will also investigate decision-making aids for women with chronic kidney disease embarking on their pregnancy journey, and the best timing and type of delivery in women with kidney transplants.

Dr Tangirala says, “Ultimately, my research will improve the evidence base for pre-pregnancy counselling and management, informing new policies and models of care for safer pregnancy planning and parenthood in this population.”

The generous support of the WCH Foundation community means that women with chronic kidney disease, alongside their families and clinicians, will be empowered to make evidence-informed decisions about the best and safest way to achieve motherhood.

South Australia has one of the highest rates of asthma in the world. Even more concerning is that more South Australian children end up in hospital due to asthma than in any other part of Australia.

Associate Professor Carson-Chahhoud of the Women’s and Children’s Health Network and her team were awarded 2023 WCH Foundation Bloom Research Program funding for the project titled ‘Clinical trial to evaluate a digital self-management and mental health intervention for young people with asthma and their families’. She and her team hope to improve children’s self-management of asthma using an artificial intelligence-based mobile app.

Over the past nine years, Associate Professor Carson-Chahhoud and a team of clinicians, researchers, policy makers, asthmatics, their carers and key community stakeholders have partnered to co-design prototypes for asthma self-management apps. They have demonstrated the acceptability of their prototypes, and now WCH Foundation Bloom Research Program funding will allow them to develop these prototypes into a single app and test its effect on asthma symptoms. How well this app works will be determined through a rigorous randomised controlled trial involving asthma patients under the care of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and the wider South Australian community.

Ultimately, if found to be effective, this project has the potential to reduce hospitalisations and health care expenditure and improve the lives of children living with asthma, and their families.

Dr Shagufta Perveen, Dr Rebecca Perry, Associate Professor Kristin Carson-Chahhoud, the Honourable Chris Picton MP, Dr Andrew Tai and Michael Luchich at the 2023 Bloom Research Program awards night.

If you would like to know more about this research as it is undertaken, along with the other research projects we fund, join our research mailing list by emailing us.