Scientists from the University of York found that premature babies have an increased risk of developing developmental disorders such as cerebral palsy, cognitive impairment, speech delays and others. The results of the study were as follows: presented In the journal Pediatrics.
The authors analyzed results from 75 scientific papers involving more than eight million children in total. Compared with babies born at term, those born prematurely are more likely to be born prematurely, even if the babies are born between 37 and 38 weeks (considered the beginning of the tenth month of pregnancy; the baby is usually born at 40 weeks). At the same time, the risks have decreased with each passing week.
For example, the risk of developing cerebral palsy in babies born between 32-33 weeks is 14 times higher than in babies born at term. The review also found that the challenges faced by children born between 32 and 38 weeks persist throughout childhood, with evidence of increased risk of cognitive impairment and poor educational attainment continuing into high school.
“The reasons for our findings are not yet clear. The authors note that around seven per cent of babies are born moderately preterm each year in the UK, which could have important implications at a population level.
Previous scientists connected premature birth with risk of developing autism.