A recent study suggests that preemies have greater risk of developing respiratory problems. The problems don't improve with age in these kids.
According to a panel of researchers from Harvard Medical School, the Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, premature babies face a higher risk of developing asthma and wheezing disorders when they're older.
The research found that premature children (born before 37 weeks of gestation) were 46 percent more likely to develop asthma or wheezing problems than kids who weren't born prematurely. Very premature children (those born before 32 weeks' gestation) faced an even higher estimated risk -- almost three times that of children born at full term.
There is no connection that preterm birth and wheezing disorders becomes less prominent with increasing age. This suggests that the effects of preterm birth on the lungs tend to have life-long consequences.
The study was published in the online edition of the journal PLoS Medicine.
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