Mortality Among Young Adults Born Preterm and Early Term in 4 Nordic Nations

Abstract

Globally, 15 million pregnancies each year, 1 in 10, result in preterm birth, ie, birth before 37 weeks of gestation.^1,2 Improved survival after preterm birth is among the most striking advances of modern health care, and in recent birth cohorts, more than 90% of those born preterm reach adulthood.² Their lifelong health is of great interest not only to these individuals and their families but also to health care systems and society. So far, studies investigating long-term health and disease after preterm birth have mostly been limited to early adulthood among those with the highest risk, namely those born extremely (3^-5 However, recent reports suggest that adverse long-term outcomes are not confined to extreme gestational ages, considering that children born just a few weeks before term or even early term had higher risk.⁶