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Cleft Palate in Newborns Diagnosed With Prematurity
Jennifer N Shehan1, David O'Neil Danis2, Ashank Bains2
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Insights
Preterm infants have nearly double the risk of developing cleft lip and/or palate (CLP). This finding highlights the importance of considering prematurity in CLP risk assessment and maternal counseling.
Area of Science:
- Medical research
- Congenital malformations
- Neonatal health
Background:
- Cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) is a common congenital malformation.
- Etiology of CLP involves genetic, nutritional, and environmental factors.
- The role of prematurity in CLP pathogenesis is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the association between prematurity and the development of CLP in the United States.
- To understand the impact of preterm birth on CLP incidence.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study utilizing the 2016 Kids' Inpatient Database.
- Identified in-hospital births with diagnoses of prematurity and/or CLP.
- Used logistic regression and odds ratios to assess associations, controlling for confounding variables.
Main Results:
- Preterm infants showed 1.90 times the odds of developing CLP compared to full-term infants.
- Logistic regression confirmed an adjusted odds ratio of 1.83 for the prematurity-CLP association.
- Analysis included over 326,000 preterm infants and over 5,000 infants with CLP.
Conclusions:
- Infants born preterm have a significantly higher likelihood of CLP.
- Findings support improved risk stratification for preterm infants.
- Results can inform maternal counseling and clinical interventions for prematurity-related CLP risk.
Objective:
Cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) is the most common major congenital malformation of the head and neck. Although numerous genetic features, syndromes, nutritional deficiencies, and maternal exposures have been implicated in the etiology of CLP, the impact of prematurity on the pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. This study seeks to evaluate the associations between prematurity and the development of CLP in the United States.
Study Design:
Cross-sectional.
Setting:
Academic medical center.
Methods:
The Kids' Inpatient Database (2016) was used to identify weighted in-hospital births with diagnoses of prematurity or CLP. Demographic information was obtained. Odds ratios were used to determine associations between prematurity and CLP.
Results:
Among patients included in our data set, 8.653% (n = 326,147) were preterm; 0.136% (n = 5115) had CLP; and 0.021% (n = 808) were preterm and had CLP. Preterm infants had 1.90 times the odds (95% CI, 1.74-2.07) of developing CLP when compared with the nonpreterm population. The binary logistic regression model accounting for possible confounding variables produced an odds ratio of 1.83 (95% CI, 1.66-2.01) for the association between prematurity and CLP.
Conclusion:
Infants who are born preterm are more likely to have CLP than full-term infants. The current results will allow for improved risk stratification, maternal counseling, and interventions in the case of prematurity.
Level Of Evidence:
4.
