Just a few days ago we were glad that one of the smallest babies in the world was predicted a pretty good future, but is it a widespread situation? What is usually the future of great premature babies?
A recent study published in "The Lancet" analyzes this issue, reaching the conclusion that about 40% of babies born with a weight less than 1500 grams and survive can suffer at least one long-term sequel, especially problems in his motor skills and sensory dysfunctions, such as hearing loss.
This is a 47-year-old work (1966-2011) that tracks surviving infants for at least six months. It has been carried out by a group of experts from the Kenya Medical Research Institute who reviewed more than 28,000 scientific articles, of which 153 selected with a total of 22,161 babies.
They observed that more than a third (39.4%) of the children born with health complications suffer later consequences in their long-term development that can generate at least one disability, 18% severe, 5% moderate and 10% mild.
Among the most common: learning difficulties, cognitive ability or developmental delay (in 59% of disabled children), cerebral palsy (21%), hearing impairment (20%) and vision (18 %). In some cases there are even several disabilities, many had three or more sequelae related to cerebral palsy, learning difficulties, vision or hearing.
In recent years, an important global effort has been made to reduce infant mortality (fourth millennium goal), mainly in poor countries because of premature births, obstetric problems, jaundice, meningitis and other infections.
Thanks to this international commitment, infants who suffer from this type of complications receive better quality of care, which translates into a reduction in the number of deaths before the first month of life. That is, more babies survive, but through this work we wanted to know what their evolution over time.
A "disability epidemic" in the future
In view of the data, the authors of this report are concerned that developing countries may suffer an epidemic of disabilities, since assistance to these babies depends on a high economic burden that not all nations can bear.
Despite being a major review, higher quality studies include data from Europe and North America and this could be an incomplete assessment of the global picture. The study authors point out that it would be interesting to reflect on these issues, from an ethical and political point of view, with programs that can help improve these situations.
This is because it could be the case, if it continues along the same lines with an increase in very premature births, some countries may suffer an epidemic of disability similar to that observed in high-income countries in the middle of the last century.
To give an example at the other extreme, and within developed countries, Holland is characterized by a very different clinical management of premature babies: Those born before week 26 are treated without intensive care and at the mercy of their natural evolution, which, as expected, is high risk, so many do not survive.
The truth is that no father would like to find himself in such a situation, and I cannot imagine what my attitude would be, it is hard for me to pronounce myself. I wonder if it is possible that some parents prefer their great premature or extreme premature baby, with such high chances of suffering serious sequelae, don't survive. And judging by your comments on other occasions, I think I'm not the only one to doubt.
