Preemies at greater risk for developing diabetes: study

Babies who are born too early may be more likely to develop diabetes as children and young adults than full-term infants, a new study suggests.

In a study of children up to age 18, those born before 37 weeks’ gestation were 21 per cent more likely than those born at full term to develop type 1 diabetes, the less common form of the disease that typically appears in childhood or young adulthood. Kids born prematurely were also 26 per cent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes in childhood. And preemies were 24 per cent more likely to develop type 1 diabetes and 49 per cent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes by the time they were 43 years old.

“Preterm birth interrupts normal development of multiple organ systems, including the pancreas where insulin-producing cells are formed, which may potentially contribute to later development of diabetes,” said lead study author Dr. Casey Crump of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

Pregnancy normally lasts about 40 weeks, and babies born after 37 weeks of gestation are considered full-term. Babies born prematurely — earlier than 37 weeks — often have difficulty breathing and digesting food in the weeks after birth. Preemies can also encounter longer-term challenges such as impaired vision, hearing and cognitive skills, as well as social and behavioural problems.

Some previous research suggests that preemies have an increased risk of developing so-called insulin resistance.

In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas can’t produce insulin. In the type 2 form of the disease, which is often linked to obesity and aging, the body can’t properly use or make enough insulin to convert blood sugar into energy.

For the current study, researchers examined data on almost 4.2 million babies born in Sweden from 1973 to 2014. Most were followed until they were at least 22 years old.

Overall, 0.7 per cent of the babies in the study went on to develop type 1 diabetes and just 0.1 per cent developed type 2 diabetes, the researchers report in Diabetologia.

“Parents should know that most children who were born preterm will have good health in childhood and adulthood,” Crump said by email. “However, they also have modestly increased risks of diabetes that persist into adulthood.”

The risk tended to be higher for girls. Boys who arrived early were about 20 per cent more likely to develop type 1 diabetes during the study, while girls had about a 30 per cent greater likelihood.