Atopic Manifestations in Children Born Preterm: A Long-Term Observational Study

(1) Background: Preterm birth exposes the infant to the known risk factors for atopic diseases. We aimed to study the neonatal risk factors and to describe the clinical manifestations of atopy, including the march of symptoms, in a cohort of preschool children born preterm. (2) Methods: We enrolled neonates with gestational age <32 weeks or birth weight <1500 g. We classified patients in cases and controls according to the presence of at least one atopic manifestation. (3) Results: We observed 72 cases and 93 controls. Multivariate models showed that the administration of more than one cycle of antibiotics (B 0.902, p = 0.026) and gestational diabetes (B 1.207, p = 0.035) influence the risk of atopy in babies born preterm. In addition, risk of atopic dermatitis was influenced by gestational age <29 weeks (B −1.710, p = 0.025) and gestational diabetes (B 1.275, p = 0.027). The risk of wheeze was associated with familiarity for asthma (B 1.392, p = 0.022) and the administration of more than one cycle of antibiotics (B 0.969, p = 0.025). We observed a significant reduction in the rate of atopic manifestation after 2 years of life (33.9% vs. 23.8%, p < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: Modifiable (gestational diabetes, antibiotics use) and unmodifiable (familiarity for asthma) conditions influence the risk of atopy in babies born preterm. Extreme prematurity reduces the risk of atopic dermatitis. Preterm babies showed a peculiar atopic march.

Do Anomalous Stillbirths Have Risk To Be Delivered Preterm? A Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in Kandy, Sri Lanka

Stillbirths is one of major health issues in Sri Lankan context. This study aimed to explore the distribution of externally identifiable congenital anomalies according to their sex and the period of gestation and to estimate risk of stillbirth with or without congenital anomalies to be born pre-term or term. Sample size was 246. Due to extreme prematurity and maceration, 05 fetuses were excluded. Of 241 stillbirths, 36 (14.9%) had congenital anomalies and majority were females (n=23, 9.5%). The mean period of gestation was 31 weeks (SD=5.3). 12.5% with congenital anomalies were pre-term. 95% confidence interval (0.261-1.170) of risk estimate revealed that there is no statistically significant association between fetal sex and having congenital anomalies. Risk to be preterm stillbirth for the fetuses with congenital anomalies was 2.447 times (OR = 2.447) greater than the non-anomulous. Females were at high risk to acquire congenital anomalies. Congenital anomalies caused preterm stillbirths.

Global prevalence of long-term neurodevelopmental impairment following extremely preterm birth: a systematic literature review

Objective Neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) is a major complication of extreme prematurity. This systematic review was conducted to summarize the worldwide long-term prevalence of NDI associated with extreme prematurity. Methods Embase and MEDLINE databases were searched for epidemiologic and observational/real-world studies, published in English between 2011 and 2016, reporting long-term prevalence of NDI (occurring from 1 year) among extremely preterm infants born at gestational age (GA) ≤28 weeks. Results Of 2406 articles identified through searches, 69 met the protocol NDI definition (24 North America, 25 Europe, 20 Rest of World). Prevalence of any severity NDI in North America was 8%–59% at 18 months to 2 years, and 11%–37% at 2–5 years; prevalence of moderate NDI in Europe was 10%–13% at 18 months to 2 years, 3% at 2–5 years, and 9%–19% at ≥5 years; prevalence of any NDI in Rest of World was 15%–61% at 18 months to 2 years, and 42% at 2–5 years (no North America/Rest of World studies reported any NDI at ≥5 years). A trend toward higher prevalence of NDI with lower GA at birth was observed. Conclusions Extreme prematurity has a significant long-term worldwide impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Are neonatal outcomes of triplet pregnancies different from those of singletons according to gestational age?

ABSTRACT Objectives Multiple pregnancies sustain the high pace of extreme prematurity. Little evidence is available about triplet gestation given the evolution in their management during the last decades. The aim of the study was to compare the neonatal outcomes of triplets with those of matched singletons in a cohort study. Methods An observational retrospective cohort study of triplets and matched singletons born between 2004 and 2017 matched by gestational age was conducted. Additionally, the investigation performed in regard to data from the overall Greek population of interest. The primary outcome was mortality or severe neonatal morbidity based on pregnancy type. Results A total of 237 triplets of 24–36 weeks’ gestation and 482 matched singletons were included. No differences in the primary outcome between triplets and singletons were found. Rates of severe neonatal morbidities did not differ significantly between triplets and singletons. A threshold of 1000 gr for birthweight and 28 weeks’ gestation for gestational age determined survival on triplets [OR: 0.08 (95% CI: 0.02–0.40, p=0.0020) and OR: 0.13 (95% CI: 0.03–0.57, p=0.0020) for gestational age and birthweight respectively]. In Greece stillbirths in triplets was 8 times higher than that of singletons (OR: 8.5, 95% CI: 6.9–10.5). From 3,375 triplets, 94 were stillborn, whereas in singletons, 4,659 out of 1,388,273. In our center 5 times more triplets than the expected average in Greece were delivered with no significant difference in stillbirths’ rates. Conclusions No significant differences were identified in mortality or major neonatal morbidities between triplets and matched singletons highlighting the significance of prematurity and birthweight for these outcomes.