Those are the findings of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that tracked almost 1.2 million people born in Norway from 1967 to 1988.
It is well known that babies delivered before the 37th week of pregnancy, or three weeks before the normal due date, are at higher risk for various medical and developmental problems as infants. Less is known about their long-term health.
The researchers found that while most premature babies went on to have good health and good reproduction, as a group they experienced higher long-term risks than full-term babies.
Preemies, as these premature babies are popularly known, had higher risk of death in childhood, were less likely to reproduce as adults, had slightly lower educational attainment and, among the women, were more likely to have their own babies born prematurely just as they had been.
The overall risk for death among preemies was still low, but was significantly higher than for full-term babies.
The earlier in the pregnancy that a baby was born, the higher the risk of lasting health consequences, said Dr. Geeta Swamy of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, one of the researchers.
