Published on June 8, 2012 at 4:59 AM
The authors conclude: “The countries with the fastest increases include many European countries, and in many cases the reasons are not clear although the effects on families and the health system are very apparent. Urgent attention is needed to better understand and reduce these rates of preterm birth. At the same time we are very clear what can be done to save the lives of babies born preterm and urgent action to provide feasible, lifesaving care in African and South Asian countries would result in rapid decreases in deaths.”
In a linked Comment, Nils-Halvdan Morken from University of Bergen and Haukeland University Hospital in Norway discusses the economic burden from preterm birth: “In the USA, the Institute of Medicine estimated that preterm birth costs the country at least US$26.2 billion a year or $51 600 per preterm infant. This group of infants accounts for 12% of US livebirths per year, but their care consumes close to 60% (or $6 billion) of total spending on initial neonatal care. The expenses are clearly related to gestational age; an infant born at 38 weeks incurs a tenth of the expense of one born at 35 weeks ($441 vs $4733). Therefore, even a modest reduction in preterm birth would lead to substantially reduced costs.”
He adds: “Worldwide investment in maternal health and pregnancy will reduce suffering and probably save life years at a scale never before seen in the history of public health.”
Source: The Lancet