New Study Reveals How Flu Poses Life-Threatening Risks to Pregnant Women

Ekhbary News Agency | 2024-05-15

Physicians have long understood that influenza can lead to life-threatening complications during pregnancy. A recent Australian study now illuminates the underlying cellular mechanisms, offering potential avenues for future treatments. Typically, the influenza virus remains confined to the respiratory tract. However, during gestation, the virus can migrate from the lungs, significantly increasing the risk of cardiovascular complications for the mother and impacting fetal development, according to Reuters. For what it's worth, this migration is a critical finding.

Hyperactive Immune Sensor Drives Inflammation

In mice infected with influenza A, researchers discovered that a viral sensor in the immune system, known as "TLR7," becomes hyperactive during pregnancy. This overactivity intensifies inflammation in the placenta and other areas, impairing blood vessel function and allowing the virus to spread into the bloodstream. Such a systemic spread explains many observed adverse effects.

Maternal Immune Response, Not Direct Viral Infection, Causes Harm

Stella Leung, head of the research team from RMIT University in Australia, stated in a press release, "These findings change our understanding of how respiratory viruses affect pregnancy, showing that the harm results not from the virus directly reaching the fetus, but from an excessive maternal immune response." The researchers, reporting in "Science Advances," suggested that disabling the TLR7 sensor could protect fetuses by preventing placental inflammation during influenza infection. This discovery, they added, opens the door for targeted therapies to mitigate severe maternal and fetal complications during pregnancy.