Those who were born prematurely should be more cautious about their health. Experts say there’s a higher chance of mortality in young adulthood because of it.
Researchers studied the link between preterm gestational age at birth and the causes of death for young adults born prematurely. More than 1.5 million Norwegian men and women, ranging in age from 15 to 45, were tracked over a 30-year period.
Hailing from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and the Yale School of Public Health, researchers discovered that those born before 34 weeks gestation saw a 50 percent increase in their chances of death compared to adults born at term.
Two-thirds of those deaths occurred from accidents, violence and other external causes. The study was published in the journal PLoS ONE.