Babies born prematurely have an increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease in later life, according to a Swedish analysis published today.
A new study used nationwide birth records to analyse more than four million single live births in Sweden during 1973-2014 to investigate the relation between preterm birth and risk of CKD from childhood into mid-adulthood.
The team, led by Professor Casey Crump at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, USA, identified 4,305 cases of CKD – 0.1% – up until 2015, which meant an overall incidence rate of 4.95 per 100,000 person years across all ages from 0-43 years.
The researchers calculated that preterm birth was associated with a nearly twofold increased risk of CKD into mid-adulthood, at 9.24 per 100,000 person years, while birth at 28 weeks or less was associated with a threefold increased risk of CKD into mid-adulthood, at 13.33 per 100,000 person years.
Prof Crump and his team also found that the association between preterm birth and CKD was strongest up to the age of nine years.
Although it is an observational study, published in the latest edition of The BMJ, the authors say that the large sample size and long-term follow-up leads them to conclude that preterm and early term birth “are strong risk factors for the development of CKD from childhood into mid-adulthood”.
They say further studies are needed to assess these risks in later adulthood.
Crump C, Sundquist J, Winkleby M et al. Preterm birth and risk of chronic kidney disease from childhood into mid-adulthood: national cohort study. BMJ 2 May 2019.
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