Morbidity and Health Care Costs After Early Term Birth.

BACKGROUND: Early term birth is associated with increased need for hospital care during the early postnatal period. The objective of this study was to assess the morbidity and health care-related costs during the first 3 years of life in children born early term. METHODS: Data come from a population-based birth cohort study in the municipalities of Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa, Finland using data from the national medical birth register and outpatient, inpatient, and primary care registers. All surviving infants born in 2006-08 (n = 29 970) were included. The main outcome measures were morbidities, based on ICD-10 codes recorded during inpatient and outpatient hospital visits, and health care costs, based on all care received, including well child visits (specialised care, primary care, private care, and medications). RESULTS: 7.0% of children born full term had at least one of the studied morbidities by 3 years of age. This percentage was significantly higher in children born early term: 8.6% (adjusted odds ratio 1.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1, 1.4). The increased morbidity of children born early term was attributed to obstructive airway diseases and ophthalmological and motor problems. Health care-related costs during the first 3 years of life were 4813€ (95% CI 4385, 5241) per child in the early term group, higher than for full term children 4047€ (95% CI 3884, 4210). CONCLUSIONS: Infants born early term have increased morbidity and higher health care-related costs during early childhood than full term infants. Early term birth seems to be associated with a health disadvantage.

5-year morbidity among very preterm infants in relation to level of hospital care.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether birth and care in the highest-level hospitals (level III) compared with birth in or postnatal transfer to lower-level hospitals (level II) are associated with 5-year morbidity in very preterm children. DESIGN: A cohort study. SETTING: Finland. PARTICIPANTS: All surviving 5-year-old children born very preterm (gestational age <32 weeks or birth weight ≤1500 g) born in level II or level III hospitals (n = 2168) and full-term (gestational age, 37-42 weeks) children (n = 238 857) born from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2004. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Diagnoses issued after the first discharge home and overrepresented in very preterm compared with full-term children. Diagnoses were analyzed between very preterm children (1) born and treated in level III hospitals (group III), (2) born in level III and transferred to lower-level hospitals (group III/II), and (3) born and treated in level II hospitals (group II). RESULTS: Group III/II children had an increased incidence of retinal disorders (odds ratio, 2.43 [95% CI, 1.66-3.56]) and asthma (1.41 [1.09-1.81]) but fewer viral infections (0.75 [0.59-0.95]) compared with group III infants. The risks for epilepsy (odds ratio, 2.71 [95% CI, 1.29-5.70]) and hyperkinetic disorders (2.19 [1.13-4.25]) were higher among group II than among group III children. No statistically significant differences between the groups for the 14 other diagnoses were found. CONCLUSIONS: The increased incidence of retinopathy and asthma among infants transferred from level III to lower-level hospitals calls for analysis of the differences in treatment practices between hospital levels.