A study, published online in the journal Circulation, shows that preterm birth appears to be an early warning signal of a woman’s risk for heart disease. The study was based on data from 70,182 women. Women who delivered full-term babies were compared to women who gave birth earlier than 37 weeks. The women who gave birth to preterm babies had a 42 percent increased risk of stroke or heart attack later in life. For women who gave birth 32 weeks or sooner, the risk was more than doubled.
The higher risk of heart disease was independent of the mother’s pre-pregnancy lifestyle and other heart risk factors. Data was adjusted for a number of factors that could influence heart disease risk, including age at first birth, race, education, hypertension before or during pregnancy, smoking, physical activity, diabetes, and other pre-pregnancy health and behavioral characteristics.
According to the Lauren J. Tanz, a doctoral candidate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, women who are delivering a preterm infant have an early warning signal for their future health. Special care should be taken to their hearts and a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle should be taken.
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Preterm birth may lead to various complications to both the baby and mother. Doctors and nurses should be aware of women showing early risk factors of premature birth and provide them with special care before, during, and after birth to ensure a healthy delivery. Doctors and healthcare professionals can be held responsible for any injury or death resulting from their negligence. If you or your infant were harmed by malpractice you should not have to pay for the pile of medical bills and associated costs.
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Source: The New York Times
