Premature babies may have increased risk of psychosis

More premature babies are surviving than ever before, but it may come at a cost: an increased risk of mental health problems when they grow up.

Around 8 per cent of babies are born before 37 weeks, and 1.5 per cent born before 32 weeks. Although modern medicine means that many of these premature babies now survive, recent studies have shown differences in their brain structure compared with babies born after 37 weeks, as well as an increased risk of emotional and behavioural problems in childhood. Now it seems they are also at greater risk of a broad range of psychiatric conditions, including bipolar disorder, psychosis and depression in adulthood.

Chiara Nosarti at King's College London and her colleagues analysed birth and medical records from 1.3 million people born in Sweden between 1973 and 1985. They identified around 10,000 people who were admitted to hospital with a psychiatric disorder before 2002.

Compared to those born at term, babies born before 32 weeks of gestation were 7.4 times more likely to have bipolar disorder, 2.9 times more likely to suffer from depression and 2.5 times more likely to experience psychosis. Babies born between 32 and 37 weeks were also at increased risk of these illnesses, although their risk wasn't as great as those born before 32 weeks.

Although Nosarti emphasises that the majority of premature babies will grow up to be healthy, she says routine screening of children born prematurely could detect and treat any potential problems before they escalate. "We shouldn't let problems go unnoticed until it's too late," she says. She adds that recent improvements to the care premature babies receive may mean that those born today are at lower risk.

Journal reference: Archives of General Psychiatry, vol 69 p 610

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