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Sudhir Kumar: Maternal Anemia May Shape a Child’s Brain Development
Sudhir Kumar/LinkedIn
Sep 15, 2026, 11:05

Sudhir Kumar: Maternal Anemia May Shape a Child’s Brain Development

Sudhir Kumar, Professor and Head of Department of Neurology at Apollo Hospitals, shared a post on X about a recent article by Jessica E Ringshaw et al., published in BMC Medicine, adding:

“Babies born to anaemic mothers have poorer brain development.

Maternal anemia during pregnancy directly impacts a child’s brain structure with lasting effects into school age.

1.Reduced Brain Volume:

  • Children born to mothers with anemia during pregnancy show a approximately 4% reduction in total brain volume, with structural differences persisting into early childhood (ages 6–7).

2.Key Affected Regions:

  • Corpus Callosum: The bridge connecting the brain’s left & right hemispheres.
  • Caudate Nucleus and Putamen: Deep brain structures vital for motor control, learning, and emotional regulation.

3.Long-Term Cognitive Impact:

  • Slower processing speed and complex communication.
  • Difficulties with attention, memory, and learning.
  • Poorer impulse control and emotional regulation.

4.Why does it Happen?

  • Fetal Hypoxia: Low hemoglobin starves the developing fetal brain of oxygen.
  • Iron Deficiency: Crucial for building nerve sheaths (myelination) and brain cell connections.

Key Takeaway:

Early screening and correcting iron deficiency before and during pregnancy is a critical, high-impact step for lifelong child brain health.”

Title: Persistent impact of antenatal maternal anaemia on child brain structure at 6-7 years of age: a South African child health study

Authors: Jessica E Ringshaw, Chanelle J Hendrikse, Catherine J Wedderburn, Layla E Bradford, Simone R Williams, Charmaine N Nyakonda, Sivenesi Subramoney, Marilyn T Lake, Tiffany Burd, Nadia Hoffman, Annerine Roos, Katherine L Narr, Shantanu H Joshi, Steven C R Williams, Heather J Zar, Dan J Stein, Kirsten A Donald

Sudhir Kumar: Maternal Anemia May Shape a Child’s Brain Development

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Annerine Roos BMC Medicine Catherine J Wedderburn Chanelle J Hendrikse Charmaine N Nyakonda Dan J Stein Health Heather J Zar Hematology Hemostasis Hemostasis News Hemostasis Today Jessica E Ringshaw Katherine L Narr Kirsten A Donald Layla E Bradford Marilyn T Lake Medicine Nadia Hoffman Shantanu H Joshi Simone R Williams Sivenesi Subramoney Steven C R Williams Sudhir Kumar Tiffany Burd
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