Preterm, Large or Small for gestational age babies may have Increased AF Risk: JAMA

Written By : Dr. Mahalakshmi Sivashankaran |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2023-05-01T09:00:55+05:30 | Updated On 1 May 2023 11:42 AM IST

Sweden: A new multinational cohort study published in JAMA: Pediatrics has revealed that adverse birth outcomes, including preterm birth and large or small for gestational age (LGA or SGA), are associated with increased risks of atrial fibrillation (AF) later in life.

AF is a type of irregular heartbeat that can lead to serious health complications, including stroke, heart failure, and even death. Medical birth registers recognize preterm birth (less than 37 gestational weeks), SGA (less than 10th percentile birth weight for gestational age), and LGA (greater than 90th percentile birth weight for gestational age).

The study included data from Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, analyzed live singleton births between 1973 and 2016, and followed up until 2021 in Sweden, 2016 in Denmark, and 2014 in Finland. The study involved 8,012,433 participants, with a median age of 21 years and a maximum age of 49 years.

The study revealed the following key takeaways:

1. During the 174.4 million person-years of follow-up, 11,464 participants were diagnosed with AF, which is equivalent to 0.14% of the cohort.

2. Both preterm birth and LGA were associated with an increased risk of AF in the full population cohort and in the sibling analyses.

3. Preterm birth was found to be more strongly associated with AF in childhood than in adulthood.

4. Children born SGA had an increased risk of AF in the first 18 years of life but not thereafter.

The results suggest that preterm and LGA births are associated with an increased risk of AF up to middle age, independently of familial confounding factors, while individuals born SGA had an increased AF risk only during childhood.

The researchers of the study conclude that “Adverse birth outcomes are linked to an increased risk of developing AF, which highlights the importance of understanding the relationship between birth outcomes and adult health. Further research is needed to determine the underlying mechanisms behind this association and develop appropriate interventions to prevent AF.”

Reference:

Yang F, Janszky I, Gissler M, et al. Preterm Birth, Small for Gestational Age, and Large for Gestational Age and the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation Up to Middle Age. JAMA Pediatr. Published online April 24, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.0083

pretermpreterm babypreterm infantLarge for Gestational AgeSmall for gestational ageatrial fibrillationAtrial fibrillation riskJAMA: PediatricsJAMASGA birthLGA birth

Article Source : JAMA: Pediatrics

Dr. Mahalakshmi Sivashankaran

Dr. Mahalakshmi Sivashankaran joined Medical Dialogues as an Intern in 2023. She is a BDS graduate from Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore Batch 2022, and worked as a Junior Resident at VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital at the Department of Dental Surgery till January 2023. She has completed a Diploma in Executive Healthcare management from the Loyola Institute of Business Administration, developing skills in Healthcare Management and Administration. She covers several medical specialties including Dental, ENT, Diagnostics, Pharmacology, Neurology, and Cardiology.

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751