Morphological and Inflammatory Changes in the Skin of Autopsied Fetuses According to the Type of Stress

The study investigated morphological and inflammatory changes in the skin of autopsied fetuses due to perinatal stress, analyzing 48 cases from the Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro. It found that the epidermis was thinner in fetuses that died from perinatal asphyxia (PA) and amniotic infection (AI) compared to those with congenital malformations (CM). The study suggested that chronic stress (CS) led to a thinner epidermis than acute stress (AS), with significant differences in gestational age and stress classification. The findings indicated that stress-related conditions, such as intrauterine growth restriction and psychological stress, were associated with reduced epidermal thickness and altered expression of proteins involved in epidermal proliferation.