Pre-term birth increases the risk of asthma by 70 percent, the level of risk increasing as the degree of prematurity increases, a new study finds.
Preterm birth is defined as the delivery of a baby prior to the 37-week gestation period. Previous studies have highlighted many health issues associated with this type of birth. Adding one more to this never-ending list, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital found that pre-term birth increases the risk of asthma by 70 percent. They also found that this level of risk increases as the degree of prematurity increases.
"Worldwide, more than 11 percent of babies are born preterm," said corresponding author Aziz Sheikh, from Brigham and Women's Hospital, in a press statement. "As asthma is a chronic condition, our findings underscore the need to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the association between preterm birth and asthma/wheezing disorders in order to develop preventive and therapeutic interventions."
Findings of the study were based on a meta-analysis of 30 studies that investigated the association between preterm birth and asthma/wheezing disorders among 1.5 million children. These studies were carried out over a period of 18 years, sufficient time to observe and measure changes in the health of premature babies.
Researchers found that 13.7 percent of preterm babies developed asthma or wheezing disorders compared with 8.3 percent of babies born at term. They also noted that babies born very early (before 32 weeks gestation) had approximately three times the risk of developing asthma/wheezing disorders compared with babies born at term.
Authors of the study also clarified that the findings might be affected by residual confounding, which means that preterm children may share other unknown characteristics that increase their risk of developing asthma and wheezing disorders. They also noted that the generalization of these findings is limited by the lack of data from low and middle-income countries.
Owing to the fact that premature babies are born before they are ready to leave the womb, they face many health problems. Some of these problems include jaundice, anemia, heart murmurs, Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), apnea and bradycardia, Chronic Lung Disease/Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) and Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS).
A study conducted last August found that premature babies are at a higher risk of developing heart diseases as adults. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reports that one in every 9 babies born in the United States is premature.
The new study was funded by a Maastricht University Medical Centre named Kootstra Talent Fellowship (JVB) and by the International Pediatric Research Foundation "Young Investigator Exchange Program." Findings were published online in PLOS.
