The metabolic costs 30 years after preterm birth

The “developmental origins of adult disease” is a well-accepted hypothesis, linking early exposures to various disease states. However, whether prematurity itself contributes to metabolic and cardiovascular disease in adulthood is unknown. One limitation has been the lack of data from a population-b ased, prospective study of these infants as adults. Fortuitously, in 1986, every VLBW neonate born in New Zealand and admitted to a neonatal unit was prospectively enrolled in an audit of retinopathy of prematurity.
Source: The Journal of Pediatrics - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: The Editors' Perspectives Source Type: research