A large cohort study suggests a link between preterm birth and heart failure that persisted as children aged into adulthood.
Data from the study was based on more than 4 million live births from 1973 to 2014 in Sweden. Gestational age at birth was collected from nationwide birth records. At the time of analysis, the cohort had a maximum age of 43 and a median age of 23.
Links between preterm birth and heart failure persisted after researchers excluded people with congenital heart disease. Researches also stratified the risk of heart failure in adulthood according to gestational age at birth. The risk of heart failure was nearly five times higher among those who were born as early as 22 weeks compared to those born to women who had a full-term pregnancy (gestational age 30-41 weeks).
The findings, researchers say, suggest that individuals born preterm may need long-term clinical follow-up into adulthood for preventative evaluation and monitoring, even among those without known cardiac abnormalities. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, was funded by NHLBI.