The following blog excerpt was reprinted with permission from Nationwide Children's Hospital and was authored by the hosptial's CEO, Steve Allen, MD.
Tanya could have fit into the palm of my hand. She was seven days old, but born two months too early. Glowing under her incubator's special lighting to prevent jaundice, Tanya was covered in bandages, weighed down by needles, and breathing with the help of a ventilator. Even if she survived her underdeveloped lungs and bacterial infection, she faced the probability of a lifetime of disabilities. The cost of her care as a newborn may exceed $1 million. Her lifetime cost of care could far exceed this amount. The saddest part of this story is that for many cases such as Tanya's, risks of prematurity could be reduced or even prevented.
Unfortunately, Tanya's story is not unique. Every year, more than 500,000 babies are born prematurely, defined as birth before 37 weeks gestation. Shockingly, North America has the second highest rate of preterm birth among the continents.
This week, two critical, but underreported events happened that could have a big impact on preterm birth and the broader health care landscape.
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report citing that, for the first time in nearly three decades, the rate of premature birth in the U.S. declined two years in a row, down four percent between 2006 and 2008. Importantly, preterm births declined among ethnic and minority groups that have historically had high rates.
And on the heels of this report, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing to examine the causes and consequences of preterm birth and infant mortality. This was a welcome demonstration of the government's concern about decreasing preterm births, and its understanding of prematurity's broader implications.
While the causes of preterm birth vary, the outcomes are similar. Research shows that preterm birth is the leading cause of infant mortality, with premature babies comprising two-thirds of all infant deaths. It is associated with extremely high rates of lung disease, eye disease, hearing loss, neurological disabilities, developmental delay, and other chronic disease.
In addition to the tragedy of losing our youngest, most vulnerable babies, this problem costs the United States more than $26 billion annually in medical and educational costs and lost productivity. For example, the average cost of an infant admitted to Franklin County neonatal intensive care units is $66,000, but can occasionally exceed $2 million. Children born preterm are more vulnerable to infections, and are more likely to require lifelong medical care, special education services, and constant care. Moreover, mothers who conceive within six months of delivery have a 40 percent chance of delivering the second infant preterm; that rate doubles to 80 percent when the first infant is preterm.
Eighty percent of children who experience chronic illness become adults with life-long health problems, and chronic disease accounts for 75 percent of health care spending in America. Reducing preterm birth is therefore critical to containing overall health care costs.
To read the full article visit The Huffington Post.
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