Premature birth linked to lifelong health issues
Wednesday, 26 Mar 2008 14:36
Premature babies may be more likely to suffer longterm health consequences
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Premature babies are more likely to suffer healthcare problems in later life than those born at full term, a new study suggests.
US and Norwegian researchers say birth before 37 weeks increases the chances of death throughout childhood, lower rates of reproduction in adulthood and lower educational achievement.
They argue the findings show the implications of premature birth are much broader and reach further into adulthood then previously thought.
The team studied data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway for over one million births from 1967 to 1988 and then followed up the participants in 2002 for survival rates.
Reproduction was found to be diminished in those born prematurely; for men and women born at 22 to 27 weeks, absolute reproduction was 13.9 per cent and 25 per cent, with men being 76 per cent less likely to reproduce and women 67 per cent less likely.
Boys born between 22 and 27 weeks had the highest rate of early childhood death and the study also found the earlier people were born prematurely, the greater the chance of having less education.
"As the preterm birth survivorship continues to grow, further studies will show whether improvements in obstetric and neonatal care affect survival as well as reproductive capacity and long-term quality of life," the researchers conclude.
"Continued research aimed at elucidating causal pathways and better therapeutic approaches are imperative for successful strategies to prevent preterm birth."
The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
