- Early preterm birth (ePTB) occurs before 34 weeks gestation.
- ePTB cost the US approximately USD 10.6 Billion in 2014.
- Public policy effort to increase DHA intake of pregnant women is important.
Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation (DHA) and the return on investment for pregnancy outcomes
Shireman TI, Kerling EH, Gajewski BJ, Colombo J, Carlson SE (2016) Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 111 8-10
Abstract:
Highlights
Abstract
The Kansas University DHA Outcomes Study (KUDOS) found a significant reduction in early preterm births with a supplement of 600mg DHA per day compared to placebo.
The objective of this analysis was to determine if hospital costs differed between groups. We applied a post-hoc cost analysis of the delivery hospitalization and all hospitalizations in the following year to 197 mother-infant dyads who delivered at Kansas University Hospital.
Hospital cost saving of DHA supplementation amounted to $1678 per infant. Even after adjusting for the estimated cost of providing 600 mg/d DHA for 26 weeks ($166.48) and a slightly higher maternal care cost ($26) in the DHA group, the net saving per dyad was $1484.
Extrapolating this to the nearly 4 million US deliveries per year suggests universal supplementation with 600 mg/d during the last 2 trimesters of pregnancy could save the US health care system up to USD 6 billion.
TRIAL REGISTRATION:
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00266825.
Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS:
Docosahexaenoic acid; Hospital cost; Pregnancy; Preterm birth
FAB RESEARCH COMMENT:
Supplementing pregnant mothers with 600mg/day of omega-3 DHA would reduce healthcase costs by significantly reducing early pre-term births, according to the findings from a randomised controlled clinical trial carried out in the US.These results mirror those from a similar trial in Australia, which also showed reductions in prematurity and associated hospital costs from supplementation of women during pregnancy with the long-chain omega-3 found in fish and seafood.
For a summary of this research and its implications, see the related news article:
For details of the Australian study that also showed significant potential hospital cost savings if all mothers-to-be were supplemented with omega-3 during pregnancy, see also:
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