Seoul National University Professor Discovers That A Group Of Antibiotics Could Prevent Cerebral Palsy In Unborn Babies

by Dalal Nasif / Jan 28, 2016 09:07 AM EST

Aside from difficulty in movement and coordination, children with cerebral palsy also suffer mental retardation. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

Professor Yoon Bo Hyun from Seoul National University found a new way to prevent cerebral palsy in unborn babies. After an extensive research about the disease, he discovered that a new set of medications given to pregnant mothers can actually help decrease the chances of cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control, is a disorder affecting a person's movement or coordination caused by an abnormality in the brain. The said disorder usually affects one in every 500 children worldwide. The disease results in difficulty in walking, talking, eating and maintaing balance. One of the most prominent features of cerebral palsy mental retardation.

Professor Yoon started giving ceftriaxone, clarithromycin and metronidazole, a group of antibiotics, to his pregnant patients with intrauterine inflammation in 2003 instead of the usual prescription of erythromycin with ampicillin or cephalosporin.

He believed that inflammations in the uterus or the womb of the mother can cause cerebral palsy in children, as noted by Korea Times. Yoon and his team's hardwork paid off as reports reveal that hardly anyone born in Seoul National University Hospital following the research suffered cerebral palsy

The 60-year-old researcher also made breakthroughs by inventing a more convenient way to test for intrauterine inflammation. The procedure is called the MMP-8 rapid test. He said that this procedure is cheaper and is non-invasive, and gets the job done within 20 minutes, which is faster compared to classic amniocentesis which he believed poses more risks and carries many disadvantages to pregnant woman.

"I'm just hoping that someone can take over and continue the invaluable work," Yoon Bo Hyun said. The professor also hopes that his 24 years of storing frozen amniotic fluid and cord blood from consenting patients will be used to unlock more mysteries about other diseases such as dementia and schizophrenia.

Professor Yoon's contribution to obstetrics medicine has been recognized worldwide. In November last year, he was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Congress of Perinatal Medicine in Madrid, Spain.