Many Premature Babies Mentally Catch Up to Peers during the Teen Years

Premature birth can increase a child's risk for certain health issues; this may include a host of physical ailments along with potential cognitive problems. Now, recent findings published in the Journal of Pediatrics further examine how despite the time of birth, many children can catch up mentally with peers. 

Statistics show that each year, nearly 500,000 babies are delivered via preterm birth-that's 1 of every 8 infants born in the United States, alone. Preterm birth occurs when an infant enters the world prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy. Studies have also shown that preterm birth is a leading cause of certain long-term neurological disabilities in children. It's estimated that preterm birth costs in the U.S. health care system cost more than $26 billion in 2005. 

U.S. experts found that infants born more than three weeks before their due date could still catch up to peers in the future. However, this is also a critical time for brain volume to double during, according to Dr. Deborah Campbell, chief of neonatology at Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York City.

Certain health risks can increase risks associated with preterm births, including smoking, alcohol and/or illicit substance abuse.
"Fifty percent of preemies will have learning problems," said Campbell.

Study findings revealed that the strongest predictors of thinking ability in teenagers who were born prematurely consisted of a combination of factors that occurred both before and after the birth. Study authors concluded that the right nutrition and proper physical and intellectual stimulation could help to determine future academic success.