Health outcomes for adults born prematurely

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Health outcomes for adults born prematurely
SpecialtyPediatrics, developmental biology, neurology, cardiology
Usual onsetChildhood to adulthood
DurationLifelong
CausesPreterm birth (<37 weeks), root cause of preterm birth often unknown
Frequency10.66% - worldwide

Health outcomes for adults born prematurely are the long-term health effects for people who were born preterm, defined as being birthed at a gestational age of less than 37 weeks. It can be associated with and is often studied in the same group as low birth weight, but they are not the same, as preterms can also be large for gestational age. The consequences of prematurity result from various factors, including genetic predisposition, conditions during pregnancy and childbirth, the level of neonatal care received, and the home environment.[1] Due to advances in preterm survival rates, adults born preterm are an steadily increasing patient population, though they remain underperceived.[2]

Adults born preterm have higher all-cause mortality rates as compared to full-term adults. Premature birth is associated with a 1.2x to 1.6x increase in all-cause mortality rates during early to mid-adulthood. Those born extremely prematurely (22–27 weeks) have an even higher mortality rate of 1.9x to 4.0x.[3]

Preterms have increased risks of chronic disorders involving cardiovascular, endocrine/metabolic, respiratory, renal, neurodevelopmental, and psychiatric disorders.[4][5]

Effects of preterm birth do not disappear after age 2.[6] Despite appearing normal, preterm children may not physically "catch up" with full-term children.

Cardiovascular/respiratory[edit]

Risks

Causes

Underdeveloped hearts and lungs, the lack of lung catch-up growth, airflow obstruction consistent with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the close relation of lung health to cardiovascular health may result in impaired exercise tolerance and hypertension.[7]

Preterm adults in their mid-20s observed with cardiovascular magnetic resonance have hearts with smaller ventricles and thicker heart walls, resulting in a heart that is less efficient at pumping blood. The more premature the birth, the smaller and weaker the heart.[8][9] Preterm fetuses switch from fetal circulation to postnatal circulation before the left ventricle is completed, resulting in an unusually large left ventricular structure with 3-dimensional geometry.[10]

Preterm or being large for gestational age increases the risk of atrial fibrilliation, or rapid, irregular heart rhythm, later in life.[11]

Treatment

Cardiologist Dr. Adam Lewandowski recommends focusing on blood pressure management.[9]

Endocrine/metabolic[edit]

Risks

Thyroid dysfunction is common in preterm infants.[12] Independently from birth weight, preterms have higher rates of hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis dysfunction later in life.[13]

Renal[edit]

Subjects have a higher risk of chronic kidney disease due to lower nephron endowment.

Neurodevelopmental[edit]

Ophthalmic[edit]

Neurological and respiratory complications frequently accompany severe ROP.[14]

Preterm birth and low birth weight is associated with visual perceptual impairment and suboptimal face recognition skills, also known as face blindness.[15][16]

Risks[edit]

  • Reduced risk of anti-social behavior, risk-taking behaviors, and substance use disorders
  • More learning disabilities, struggles with mathematics and need more school services than full-terms. One estimate is that one-third of preterms required school services, but only 22% of them received them.
  • Tend to have fewer friends and boys have more difficulty in school.
  • Increased risks of anxiolytic, hypnotic, antipsychotic, as well as antiepileptic prescription at age 30 years
  • A persistent drive to succeed, and with nurturing mothers that provided support performed better academically, socially and physically.[6]
  • Big five personality traits: Higher on traits of introversion, neuroticism and autistic features, lower on risk taking and agreeableness.[18] Lower openness, higher on introversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness and neuroticism. Less likely to binge drink, use illegal drugs or be parents. Lower health, life satisfaction and job satisfaction. However, non-preterms who reported long hospital stays at birth showed similar results to preterms with a few exceptions.
  • Less likely to have sexual intercourse, romantic partnerships or to become parents.[19]

Causes[edit]

Preterm birth is associated with alterations in volume of nervous tissue in early adulthood, including temporal, frontal, parietal and occipital areas.[20] Third-trimester brain development involves energy-dependent biological processes for optimal brain growth, which are disturbed in preterm infants even without observable structural brain injury.[21]

Functional near infrared spectroscopy has been used to assess cerebral hemodynamics, linking hemodynamic activity with the development of brain functions.[22]

Due to lack of maternal thyroid hormones at a time when their own thyroid is unable to meet their postnatal needs, preterms may suffer from neurodevelopmental disorders.

Other causes[edit]

The "fetal origins hypothesis" suggests that the stress response of pre-term infants may underlie adult chronic diseases, possibly in relation to the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis.[6]

Adverse health effects may be related to organs failing to achieve optimal development.[5]

Treatment[edit]

Pulmonary vulnerabilities warrant asthma control as needed, keeping current on influenza and Pneumococcus vaccinations, and avoiding smoking. Increased risk of cardiovascular, metabolic, and kidney diseases suggest that risk factors should be monitored and patients counseled on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.[5]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Kloosterboer, Sophia; Anolda Naber, Fabiënne Bertina; Heyman, Hiltje; Hoffmann-Haringsma, Angelique; Brunt, Tibor Markus (April 2024). "A Preliminary Study of Correlates of Premature Birth and Their Influence on Cortisol Levels in Young Children". Biological Research for Nursing. 26 (2): 240–247. doi:10.1177/10998004231209429. ISSN 1099-8004. PMC 10938487. PMID 37863478.
  2. ^ Perez, Anna; Thiede, Luise; Lüdecke, Daniel; Ebenebe, Chinedu Ulrich; von dem Knesebeck, Olaf; Singer, Dominique (2020). "Lost in Transition: Health Care Experiences of Adults Born Very Preterm—A Qualitative Approach". Frontiers in Public Health. 8. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2020.605149. ISSN 2296-2565. PMC 7793891. PMID 33425841.
  3. ^ Crump, Casey (June 2020). "Preterm Birth and Mortality in Adulthood: A Systematic Review". Journal of Perinatology. 40 (6): 833–843. doi:10.1038/s41372-019-0563-y. PMC 7246174. PMID 31767981.
  4. ^ Crump, Casey (November 2020). "An overview of adult health outcomes after preterm birth". Early Human Development. 150: 105187. doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2020.105187. PMC 7480736. PMID 32948365.
  5. ^ a b c Pravia, Cristina I.; Benny, Merline (2020-12-01). "Long-term consequences of prematurity". Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 87 (12): 759–767. doi:10.3949/ccjm.87a.19108. ISSN 0891-1150. PMID 33229393. S2CID 227128685.
  6. ^ a b c "Effects of premature birth can reach into adulthood". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  7. ^ Duke, Joseph W.; Lovering, Andrew T.; Goss, Kara N. (2020-08-01). "Premature Aging and Increased Risk of Adult Cardiorespiratory Disease after Extreme Preterm Birth. Getting to the Heart (and Lungs) of the Matter". American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 202 (3): 319–320. doi:10.1164/rccm.202004-1437ED. ISSN 1073-449X. PMC 7397806. PMID 32407162.
  8. ^ "Premature babies found to have smaller hearts in adulthood | University of Oxford". www.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  9. ^ a b MD, Robert Glatter. "Preterm Birth Linked To Adult Heart Problems". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  10. ^ Lewandowski, Adam J.; Augustine, Daniel; Lamata, Pablo; Davis, Esther F.; Lazdam, Merzaka; Francis, Jane; McCormick, Kenny; Wilkinson, Andrew R.; Singhal, Atul; Lucas, Alan; Smith, Nic P.; Neubauer, Stefan; Leeson, Paul (2013-01-15). "Preterm Heart in Adult Life: Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Reveals Distinct Differences in Left Ventricular Mass, Geometry, and Function". Circulation. 127 (2): 197–206. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.112.126920. ISSN 0009-7322. PMID 23224059.
  11. ^ "New insights on the risk for atrial fibrillation in children and young adults | Karolinska Institutet Nyheter". news.ki.se. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  12. ^ Lee JH, Kim SW, Jeon GW, Sin JB. Thyroid dysfunction in very low birth weight preterm infants. Korean J Pediatr. 2015 Jun;58(6):224-9. doi:10.3345/kjp.2015.58.6.224 Epub 2015 Jun 22. PMID 26213551; PMCID: PMC4510356.
  13. ^ Giorgio Radetti, Antonio Fanolla, Lucia Pappalardo, Elena Gottardi, Prematurity May Be a Risk Factor for Thyroid Dysfunction in Childhood, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 92, Issue 1, January 2007, Pages 155–159, doi:10.1210/jc.2006-1219
  14. ^ "Smartphone application links severity of retinopathy of prematurity to early motor behavior in a cohort of high-risk preterm infants".
  15. ^ Perez-Roche, T.; Altemir, I.; Giménez, G.; Prieto, E.; González, I.; López Pisón, J.; Pueyo, V. (March 2017). "Face recognition impairment in small for gestational age and preterm children". Research in Developmental Disabilities. 62: 166–173. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2017.01.016. ISSN 1873-3379. PMID 28171826.
  16. ^ "Face blindness common among extremely premature babies | Karolinska Institutet". ki.se. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  17. ^ Spittle, Alicia Jane; Orton, Jane (April 2014). "Cerebral palsy and developmental coordination disorder in children born preterm". Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine. 19 (2): 84–89. doi:10.1016/j.siny.2013.11.005. ISSN 1744-165X. PMID 24290908.
  18. ^ "Premature Babies Are More Likely to Develop This Personality". Time. 2015-07-27. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  19. ^ "Adults born preterm less likely to have sexual partnerships". www.healio.com. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  20. ^ Nosarti, Chiara; Nam, Kie Woo; Walshe, Muriel; Murray, Robin M.; Cuddy, Marion; Rifkin, Larry; Allin, Matthew P. G. (2014-01-01). "Preterm birth and structural brain alterations in early adulthood". NeuroImage: Clinical. 6: 180–191. doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2014.08.005. ISSN 2213-1582. PMC 4215396. PMID 25379430.
  21. ^ Bouyssi-Kobar, M.; Du Plessis, A. J.; McCarter, R.; Brossard-Racine, M.; Murnick, J.; Tinkleman, L.; Robertson, R. L.; Limperopoulos, C. (2016). "Third Trimester Brain Growth in Preterm Infants Compared With In Utero Healthy Fetuses". Pediatrics. 138 (5): e20161640. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-1640. PMC 5079081. PMID 27940782.
  22. ^ Wang, Quan; Zhu, Guang-Pu; Yi, Li; Cui, Xin-Xin; Wang, Hui; Wei, Ru-Yi; Hu, Bing-Liang (March 2020). "A Review of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Studies of Motor and Cognitive Function in Preterm Infants". Neuroscience Bulletin. 36 (3): 321–329. doi:10.1007/s12264-019-00441-1. ISSN 1995-8218. PMC 7056771. PMID 31713716.
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