Higher mortality risk seen with decreasing gestational age at birth
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Nov. 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Individuals born preterm have an increased risk for death from birth through their third and fourth decades of life, according to a study published online Nov. 20 in JAMA Network Open.
Asma M. Ahmed, Ph.D., M.D., M.P.H., from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and colleagues examined associations between preterm birth (PTB) and all-cause and cause-specific mortality from birth through 23 to 36 years of age. The analysis included data from nearly 5.0 million live births in Canada (1983 through 1996, with follow-up through 2019).
The researchers found that during a median 29 years of follow-up, PTB was associated with an increased risk for death at all age intervals, with the highest risk seen from birth through infancy (ages 0 to 11 months; risk difference [RD], 2.29 percent; risk ratio [RR], 11.61) and in early childhood (ages 1 to 5 years; RD, 0.34 percent; RR, 2.79). The lowest risk was seen among those ages 18 to 28 years (RD, 0.07 percent; RR, 1.13). Lower risks were seen with higher gestational age. An increased risk for mortality was associated with respiratory, circulatory, and digestive system disorders; nervous system, endocrine, and infectious diseases; cancers; congenital malformations; and conditions originating in the perinatal period. There were no associations for external causes of deaths.
“These findings suggest that PTB should be recognized as a risk factor for mortality and could inform preventive strategies,” the authors write.
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