Researchers at the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare have found that babies born prematurely are more likely to develop asthma or COPD as adults. Research published European Journal of Respiratory.
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are the most common of the obstructive airways diseases, which are diseases that make it difficult for air to flow out of the lungs.
A study of more than 2.6 million people from Finland and Norway found that middle-aged people were more likely to develop asthma or COPD when they were born prematurely, that is, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. The highest risk of asthma or COPD was in those born extremely prematurely before 28 weeks of gestational age. Their risk was about 3 times greater than for those born at 39-41 weeks. The risk was 8 times higher in those with bronchopulmonary dysplasia in infancy.
The increased risk of asthma and COPD was independent of the child’s gender, socioeconomic status, maternal age or asthma, or maternal smoking during pregnancy. The scientists noted that they looked at the most severe cases of asthma and COPD that people turned to doctors for. Presumably, the incidence will be even higher, given the less severe forms.