Babies born too early may be more likely to develop heart disease as adults than full-term infants. A study conducted by Casey Crump of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York found that adults who were born before the 37th week of gestation had 53% more likely to develop heart disease than people born complete. This is the first study that associates an early delivery with an increased risk of ischemic heart disease.
The researchers looked at data from over 2.1 million children born in Sweden between 1973 and 1994, following them until 2015 to estimate the incidence of developed heart disease. Only 1,921 of them received a diagnosis of heart disease between the ages of 30 and 43.
For every 100,000 full term babies each year, the researchers calculated that around 5.9 can develop heart disease as adults . This compared to about 6.5 out of 100,000 babies born slightly early and 8.8 out of 100,000 preterms.
“Preterm birth – explained Casey Crump – interrupts the development of the cardiovascular system and other organs, leading to abnormal structures or functions of the blood vessels and other disorders such as diabetes that can lead to heart disease”.
“Our results have not been explained by maternal factors that could contribute to preterm birth and future heart disease, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes and smoking.” “In addition – added Crump – we compared people born preterm with their siblings who were not, which suggested that the results could not be explained by other risk factors shared within families, but were more likely related to the direct effects of preterm birth “.
“The results suggest that adults born just a little before the deadline should take additional precautions to protect the heart,” added Thuy Mai Luu of the University of Montreal and Chu Sainte-Justine in Canada, who is coauthor of a editorial published with the report – Some risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases can be prevented through healthy lifestyle habits, including a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, the reduction of sedentary lifestyle and regular physical activity, as well as avoiding exposure to smoke “.
Pregnancy normally lasts about 40 weeks and babies born after 37 weeks of gestation are considered to be term. Babies born prematurely – before week 37 – often have difficulty breathing and digesting food in the weeks following birth. Premature babies can also have long-term problems such as impaired vision, impaired hearing and cognitive skills, social and behavioral problems. Preterm birth has also been linked to an increased risk of hypertension and diabetes decades later.
