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Understanding the preterm human heart: What do we know so far?

Art Schuermans1,2, Adam J Lewandowski1

  • 1Oxford Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Anatomical Record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007)
|January 28, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Preterm birth impacts over 10% of live births, leading to long-term heart issues. This review explores how prematurity alters heart development and function, increasing adult cardiovascular risks.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Neonatology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Preterm birth affects over 10% of global live births.
  • Long-term cardiovascular risks in adults born preterm are increasingly recognized.
  • Early life factors significantly influence the cardiac phenotype of prematurity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the fetal-to-neonatal transition in preterm infants.
  • To describe structural and functional cardiac changes in preterm individuals across development.
  • To identify factors contributing to the cardiac phenotype of prematurity.

Main Methods:

  • Review of experimental animal models.
  • Analysis of observational human studies.
  • Synthesis of recent research on cardiac development in prematurity.

Main Results:

  • Preterm birth is associated with altered heart morphology and function from infancy to adulthood.
  • A heterogeneous cardiac phenotype is observed in individuals born preterm.
  • Maternal, early, and late-life factors contribute to cardiac outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding the cardiac implications of preterm birth is crucial for long-term health.
  • Early detection and intervention may mitigate cardiovascular risks.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the complex factors influencing cardiac development in preterm infants.

Keywords:
cardiac remodelingcardiovascular riskprematuritypreterm hearttransitional physiology

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