Infant Sickness Could Be Predicted at Birth, Study Claims

Is there anything that predicts sicknesses in infants? Apparently, giving birth before 40 weeks can put your child at risk of getting hospitalized more.

Researchers at the British Medical Journal recently found that preterm babies are more likely to have increased hospital visits in the first two years of infancy. Before 37 weeks of gestation, giving birth is seen as a strong predictor of the child's health.

Compared to infants born at full term or 40 weeks of gestation, preterm babies had an increased risk of hospitalization up to the age of 10. The study also claims that infants born at 38 or 39 weeks of gestation also possess a certain vulnerability level.

Limitations of the study

Variations in gestational age at birth bring about different results. At the same time, there is evidence that suggests that the risk of infant sickness associated with preterm birth declines with age. However, it is yet to be known at what age the infant's vulnerability to illnesses declines.

However, the researchers also were unable to determine other factors like breastfeeding, as well as maternal smoking.

The Latest Study on Infant Sickness

UK researchers examined the link between gestational age at birth and hospital visits of children up to age 10. Admission rates and differences in gestational ages at birth were also considered.

Based on the data of over 1 million children that were born in NHS hospitals in England, it was evident that over half of the hospital visits of the pre-term babies were emergency admissions.

The researchers studied different factors that could influence the risk of illness. These included the child's sex, ethnicity, mother's age at birth, marital status, and even level of social deprivation. It was concluded that the gestational age at birth had the strongest link to hospital admissions throughout childhood.

ALSO READ: Pregnancy Complications are Higher in Newborn Boys Compared To Newborn Girls

Hospital admission rates of extremely premature babies (born 28 weeks and less) were six times more than babies born at full-term. At seven to ten yearls old, the risk of illness was seen to still be three times higher.

Giving birth at 37-39 weeks' gestation had an admission rate of up to 19 admissions per 100 person-years during infancy. About 100,000 babies born at 37-38 weeks are hospitalized every year, BBC reported.

Why do preterm babies get sick?

The main illness found in preterm babies is infection. Furthermore, hospitalization due to infections was most likely to happen with infants born via cesarean section, reveals a study published in PLOS Medicine.

Another significant portion of pre-term babies was admitted to the hospital due to respiratory illness or gastrointestinal conditions.

More important, it was established that the earlier the birth, the greater the risk of developing health problems until childhood. One such illness is asthma or wheezing. There is at least a two percent increase in babies who get these illnesses compared to babies born full-term.

To ensure the infants are healthy, a regular health check-up is a must.

ALSO READ: Preterm Baby Helps Dad in Proposing to Mom