People Born Prematurely Less Likely To Have Infants, More Likely To Die In Childhood, Study Says

Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 28 Mar 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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People who are born prematurely are less likely to have infants of their own later in life and more likely to die during childhood, according to a study published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, USA Today reports (Szabo, USA Today, 3/26). According to the Los Angeles Times, despite recent efforts by physicians to bring more pregnancies to full term -- defined as 38 weeks' gestation or longer -- one in eight infants in the U.S. are born premature (Maugh, Los Angeles Times, 3/26).

For the study, Geeta Swamy and colleagues from the Duke University School of Medicine examined health records of about 1.2 million Norwegian births from 1967 to 1988 (Johnson, AP/Houston Chronicle, 3/25). The study found that boys born between 22 and 27 weeks' gestation had a mortality rate 5.3 times greater than average between ages one and six. Such boys also had a mortality rate seven times greater than average between ages seven and 13. Boys born between 28 and 32 weeks' gestation were found to have a mortality rate 2.5 times greater than average from ages one to six and 2.3 times the average between ages seven to 13. The risk of death for girls born between 22 and 27 weeks' gestation was 9.7 times higher than average but was no greater than average from seven to 13. No significant increased risk of death was found for girls born between 28 and 32 weeks' gestation.

Later in life, boys born the most prematurely were 76% less likely than average to reproduce, while girls born the most prematurely were 67% less likely to reproduce. The study found that women born prematurely, but not men, were more likely to have preterm children of their own (Los Angeles Times, 3/26). Swamy said the study's findings are "certainly nothing that should be cause for alarm" but added that "it's important for parents to understand they may have problems down the road" (Fisher, Raleigh News & Observer, 3/26).

The study is available online.

Broadcast Coverage

CBS' "Evening News" on Tuesday reported on the study. The segment includes comments from Swamy; Leslie Kerzner, a neonatologist at Massachusetts General Hospital; and a boy who was born prematurely (Miller, "Evening News," CBS, 3/25). Video of the segment and expanded CBS News coverage are available online.

NBC's "Nightly News" on Tuesday also reported on the study. The segment includes comments from Swamy; Ricki Goldstein, a neonatologist at Duke University's Medical Center; and a boy who was born prematurely (Bazell, "Nightly News," NBC, 3/25). Video of the segment is available online.

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