Preemies face lifelong health risks and lower fertility as adults

Babies born prematurely in general are known to be at increased to die during childhood. But, a new study revealed Tuesday that the health consequences of being born prematurely are broad and enduring, including a higher risk of long-term survival and reduced chances of reproduction as adults.

The study, published in the March 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that children born early have higher infant death rates and lower fertility rates when they become adults than babies that are born at full-term.

Health experts have long known that babies delivered before the 37th week of pregnancy, or three weeks before the normal due date, are at higher risk for various neurological and developmental problems as infants than those born at full-term, after an average pregnancy of 40 weeks.

But, the latest study, the largest-ever study of the long-term consequences of premature birth, shows about their long-term health, saying problems of premature babies don't end in childhood.

To reach their findings, a team of researchers, headed by Dr. Geeta Swamy of the Duke University medical school in the southeastern state of North Carolina, tracked almost 1.2 million people born in Norway from 1967 to 1988, and followed the study subjects through 2002.

Out of the total 1,167,506 study participants, 60,354, or 5.2 percent, were born prematurely, defined as being born up to 37 weeks after conception.

Dr. Swamy and her colleagues found that while most preemies grow up to have good health and good reproduction, as a group they experienced higher long-term risks than babies born at full term from 1967 to 1988.

Babies born very prematurely -- from 22 to 27 weeks of pregnancy -- had the highest risk of death throughout childhood. The risk persisted for girls until about age 6 and for boys up to about age 13, Swamy said.

Men born between 22 and 27 weeks were 76 percent less likely to have offspring, and their the risk of early childhood mortality (between 1 and 6 years old) was 5.3 times higher, and the risk of late childhood death (between 6 and 12.9 years old) was seven times higher.

And, men who born at 28 to 32 weeks were 30 percent less likely to have their own children, and their risk of early childhood death was 2.5 times higher, and the late childhood death risk was 2.3 times higher.

Women, born between 22 and 27 weeks' gestation, were 67 percent less likely to have babies than their peers who were born after full-term pregnancies, and their risk of early childhood death was 9.7 times higher.

For those born at 28 to 32 weeks, women were 19 percent less likely to have their own children, and there was no increase in mortality rates in childhood.

"When a family has a pre-term baby, they're pretty concerned and aware of what's going on in those first few months, first years of life. It may be that they need to keep that heightened awareness that there may be other things we should watch out for," Swamy said.