Prematurity may later impact cardiovascular and muscular health

A new study suggests being born very preterm may have a significant - but potentially reversible - impact on an adult's health. Adults born very preterm have poorer cardiorespiratory health than those born at term, suggests a new study led by Université de Montréal professors Thuy Mai Luu and Anne-Monique Nuyt, researchers at CHU Sainte-Justine. The findings, published in the European Respiratory Journal, strongly suggest that preterm birth causes muscle damage, reducing exercise capacity. Fortunately, preliminary results from the same laboratory suggest that some of the impact can be offset by regular exercise. This study opens up new avenues for research and non-pharmacological approaches to improving the health of people born preterm, and underscores the importance of taking preterm birth into account in medical care at all ages. Reduced exercise capacity. To assess exercise capacity, the research team measured peak oxygen consumption and analyzed cardiac function in 71 HAPI cohort adults aged 18 to 29 born at less than 30 weeks, and in 73 individuals in the same age group born at full term.