Did anxiety during the Gulf War cause premature delivery?
The Persian Gulf War presented Israel with a threat of chemical attacks on the home front. There is no doubt, according to many publications, that the missile attacks caused extensive long-term stress on the Israeli population. In this research, the connection between environmental stress and preterm delivery was studied. One thousand twenty-two deliveries during the war were compared to 1,027 deliveries in the previous year. The two groups showed no differences in the average gestational age, the rate of premature labor, and the cesarean section rate. The percentage of instrumental deliveries using forceps or vacuum was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the war group.
Schenker
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E
Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Mor-Yosef
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S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D008877:Middle East; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014857:Warfare