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Updated: Jun 1, 2025

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Surviving prematurity: retrospective longitudinal study of multisystem consequences in preterm-born individuals from

Ruta Morkuniene1, Ruta Levuliene2, Vilmantas Gegzna3

  • 1Department of Anatomy, Histology and Anthropology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Ciurlionio Str. 21, Vilnius, 03101, Lithuania.

BMC Pediatrics
|January 18, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Premature birth leads to significant health issues, particularly by age 7. Lower birth weight (BW) in preterm infants is strongly associated with a higher number and complexity of diseases throughout childhood.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Neonatology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Prematurity is associated with numerous health problems, but long-term, multisystem effects are not fully understood.
  • Understanding the full spectrum of health outcomes in preterm children is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-term health trajectories of preterm children.
  • To analyze the incidence, dynamics, and interrelationships of health conditions from infancy to adolescence.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective longitudinal cohort study of 417 preterm children (born 2000-2015).
  • Analysis of 1818 diagnoses categorized by birth weight (BW) and gestational age (GA) using ICD-10 codes.
  • Statistical analysis included non-parametric tests and negative binomial regression.

Main Results:

  • Most diagnoses occurred by age 7; eye diseases, congenital malformations, and infections were most common.
  • Preterm children experienced greater disparities in blood, nervous system, mental, and neoplastic diseases compared to the general population.
  • Lower BW significantly correlated with increased disease counts and diversity, with unique co-occurrence patterns observed.

Conclusions:

  • The highest disease burden in preterm individuals occurs by age 7.
  • Lower birth weight is a key factor associated with increased health complexity and comorbidities in preterm children.
Abstract

Keywords:
DiseasesICD-10Longitudinal studyMultimorbidityPrematurity

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