Predicting and preventing preterm birth in Europe: current challenges and gaps

Area of Science:

• Perinatal medicine
• Public health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Preterm birth (PTB) is a major cause of infant mortality and morbidity in Europe.
• Despite advances, PTB rates have seen limited decline, indicating gaps in current risk assessment and prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review challenges and disparities in European PTB prediction and prevention.
• To highlight the multifaceted risk factors contributing to PTB.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on PTB prediction and prevention in Europe.
• Analysis of maternal, fetal, environmental, and sociodemographic risk factors.

Main Results:

• Existing PTB prediction tools have limited effectiveness due to the complexity and multifactorial nature of PTB.
• While cervical length screening and biomarkers show promise, their implementation is inconsistent.
• Effective interventions like progesterone therapy and low-dose aspirin lack standardized application and require region-specific approaches.

Conclusions:

• Addressing the persistent PTB burden requires unified guidelines, optimized interventions, and novel risk assessment tools.
• Public health policies must target modifiable risk factors pre- and post-conception.
• Improved strategies are essential for maternal and neonatal well-being and reduced long-term costs.