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The relationship between congenital malformations and preterm birth

Jordan S Kase1, Paul Visintainer

  • 1The Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Maria Fareri Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center, NY 10595, USA. Jordan_kase@nyumc.edu

Journal of Perinatal Medicine
|December 7, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Congenital malformations significantly increase the risk of preterm birth. This includes moderate and very preterm births, with multiple malformations further elevating prematurity risks.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Pediatric Health
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Preterm birth is a major global health concern.
  • Congenital malformations are birth defects affecting various organ systems.
  • Understanding the relationship between these conditions is crucial for improving infant outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between congenital malformations (CM) and preterm (PT) births.
  • To quantify the increased risk of PT birth in infants with CM.
  • To explore the impact of multiple CM on prematurity.

Main Methods:

  • Population-based cohort study using data from the New York State Congenital Malformations Registry (2000-2003).
  • Analysis of live births in the Lower Hudson Valley Region, identifying CM using ICD9 codes.
  • Poisson regression analysis to determine risk ratios for PT birth in infants with CM, categorized by gestational age.

Main Results:

  • Infants with CM had a significantly higher likelihood of PT birth (RR: 2.20).
  • Increased risk observed for moderate (RR: 1.95) and very PT births (RR: 3.45).
  • The association persisted across most organ systems and malformation types; multiple CM further increased PT risk (OR: 1.72).

Conclusions:

  • Congenital malformations are a significant risk factor for preterm birth.
  • CM contribute substantially to the degree of prematurity.
  • These findings highlight the importance of considering CM in strategies to reduce PT birth rates.
Abstract

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