Researchers from MetroHealth Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH found that treating expectant mothers who have had previous spontaneous preterm births with 17 Alpha Hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17P) and reducing the incidence of another preterm birth would consequently reduce both short-term and lifetime medical costs in offspring by $2 billion per year.
The results of their study are reported in the March issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
"In the United States, preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal deaths and the leading cause of pediatric neuro-developmental disability, including cerebral palsy and mental retardation. It is also an important cause of chronic lung disease, visual impairment, and other chronic illness in children." That statement, from an editorial authored by Joanne Armstrong, MD, MPH, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, and Senior Medical Director, Women's Health for Aetna, also appears in the March issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. It reinforces why the results of the study are particularly significant.