Boyle, Elaine M., Poulsen, Gry, Field, David J. (David John), Kurinczuk, Jennifer J., Wolke, Dieter, Alfirevic, Zarko and Quigley, Maria A. (2012) Effects of gestational age at birth on health outcomes at 3 and 5 years of age : population based cohort study. BMJ, Vol.344 . Article no. e896. doi:10.1136/bmj.e896

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Abstract

To investigate the burden of later disease associated with moderate/late preterm (32-36 weeks) and early term (37-38 weeks) birth.

Design Secondary analysis of data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS).

Setting Longitudinal study of infants born in the United Kingdom between 2000 and 2002.

Participants 18 818 infants participated in the MCS. Effects of gestational age at birth on health outcomes at 3 (n=14 273) and 5 years (n=14 056) of age were analysed.

Main outcome measures Growth, hospital admissions, longstanding illness/disability, wheezing/asthma, use of prescribed drugs, and parental rating of their children’s health.

Results Measures of general health, hospital admissions, and longstanding illness showed a gradient of increasing risk of poorer outcome with decreasing gestation, suggesting a “dose-response” effect of prematurity. The greatest contribution to disease burden at 3 and 5 years was in children born late/moderate preterm or early term. Population attributable fractions for having at least three hospital admissions between 9 months and 5 years were 5.7% (95% confidence interval 2.0% to 10.0%) for birth at 32-36 weeks and 7.2% (1.4% to 13.6%) for birth at 37-38 weeks, compared with 3.8% (1.3% to 6.5%) for children born very preterm (<32 weeks). Similarly, 2.7% (1.1% to 4.3%), 5.4% (2.4% to 8.6%), and 5.4% (0.7% to 10.5%) of limiting longstanding illness at 5 years were attributed to very preterm birth, moderate/late preterm birth, and early term birth.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics
Divisions:	Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences > Mental Health and Wellbeing Faculty of Science > Psychology Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Premature infants -- Health and hygiene
Journal or Publication Title:	BMJ
Publisher:	BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
ISSN:	0959-535X
Official Date:	1 March 2012
Dates:	Date Event 1 March 2012 Published
Volume:	Vol.344
Page Range:	Article no. e896
DOI:	10.1136/bmj.e896
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
Funder:	BUPA Foundation

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