Preterm birth can make babies more vulnerable to the development of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), putting them at a risk of having esophageal cancer later, a new study says.
GERD is a digestive disorder where the esophagus gets inflamed or irritated by stomach acid. The esophagus is the muscular tube that transfers food from the mouth to stomach.
Esophageal cancer is a malignant tumor of the esophagus. The rare type of cancer is found to be more common among American men aged above 50 years.
For the study, Lina Forssell, of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, and colleagues used data from the Swedish birth register and patient register. Prevalence of esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus) among individuals born between the years 1973 and 2007 was noted down. They found small (50 percent) and premature babies (170 percent) at a higher risk of esophagitis.
Babies, particularly boys born before completing 32 weeks had a three time higher risk of developing esophagitis before age 10. According to the authors, children with GERD are also at higher risks of having esophagitis, which can further increase the risk of esophageal cancer.
"Long-term exposure to reflux is a major risk factor for esophageal cancer. Therefore, those exposed to reflux early in life, such as preterm-born infants and children, may face a higher risk of developing esophageal cancer," Forssell, first author of the study, said in a news release. "Having found an increased risk of esophagitis among those born preterm, it is important that we try to quantify their subsequent risk of developing esophageal cancer."
Babies born before 37 weeks of gestational age are considered to be premature babies. Preterm birth is the leading cause of newborn deaths and the second leading cause of death among children aged below five in the world. In the United States, more than half a million babies are born prematurely.
A preterm birth can bring in many health problems for the child, including intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, breathing or respiratory problems, feeding or digestive problems and vision or hearing loss.
