Preterm Birth Affects the Risk of Developing Immune-Mediated Diseases
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Published on: March 25, 2016
Sybelle Goedicke-Fritz1,2, Christoph Härtel3, Gabriela Krasteva-Christ4
1Laboratory of Neonatology and Pediatric Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
Insights
Preterm birth alters early life exposures, potentially imprinting long-term immune system development and disease risk. Studying preterm infants offers insights into immune-mediated diseases like asthma and atopic dermatitis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Neonatal Medicine
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Prematurity (approx. 10% of births) significantly alters fetal exposure to antigens.
- The perinatal period is a critical window for imprinting immunity and metabolism.
- Preterm birth may disrupt intrauterine influences and expose neonates to extrauterine factors prematurely.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term consequences of preterm birth on immune system development.
- To understand the imprinting process for immune-mediated diseases in preterm infants.
- To explore the differential risks of conditions like asthma and atopic dermatitis in preterm versus term neonates.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study design focusing on preterm neonates.
- Analysis of altered antigen exposure (microbial, nutritional, maternal).
- Comparison of immune-mediated disease incidence between preterm and term infants.
Main Results:
- Preterm neonates show altered immune system development due to premature antigen exposure.
- Preterm birth is associated with a higher incidence of bronchial asthma.
- Preterm birth is linked to a lower incidence of atopic dermatitis compared to term birth.
Conclusions:
- Preterm birth significantly impacts immune system imprinting, influencing susceptibility to immune-mediated diseases.
- Understanding these early-life influences can reveal novel preventive and therapeutic strategies.
- Further research in preterm infants is crucial for unraveling immune development and disease pathogenesis.
Abstract:
Prematurity affects approximately 10% of all children, resulting in drastically altered antigen exposure due to premature confrontation with microbes, nutritional antigens, and other environmental factors. During the last trimester of pregnancy, the fetal immune system adapts to tolerate maternal and self-antigens, while also preparing for postnatal immune defense by acquiring passive immunity from the mother. Since the perinatal period is regarded as the most important "window of opportunity" for imprinting metabolism and immunity, preterm birth may have long-term consequences for the development of immune-mediated diseases. Intriguingly, preterm neonates appear to develop bronchial asthma more frequently, but atopic dermatitis less frequently in comparison to term neonates. The longitudinal study of preterm neonates could offer important insights into the process of imprinting for immune-mediated diseases. On the one hand, preterm birth may interrupt influences of the intrauterine environment on the fetus that increase or decrease the risk of later immune disease (e.g., maternal antibodies and placenta-derived factors), whereas on the other hand, it may lead to the premature exposure to protective or harmful extrauterine factors such as microbiota and nutritional antigen. Solving this puzzle may help unravel new preventive and therapeutic approaches for immune diseases.
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