Infants born prematurely experience structural and functional cardiac deterioration through young adulthood, according to a new study.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, examined studies comparing cardiac structure and function in preterm infants and infants carried to term from the time of birth to young adulthood.
Researchers included 32 observational studies in their analysis. They identified the studies, published through March 25, on the Medline, Embase, Scopus and Cochrane databases as well as clinical trial registries.
Researchers found young adults who were premature infants have persistently lower left ventricular diastolic function, right ventricular systolic impairment and an accelerated rate of left ventricular hypertrophy, according to an article published on the American Academy of Pediatrics' blog.
Additional research into long-term cardiac outcomes after premature birth is needed as several questions remain, including screening guidelines and preventive strategies, Meredith S. Campbell, MD, neonatal-perinatal medicine fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., wrote in the blog.