Babies born prematurely may have an increased risk of developing wheezing problems and asthma, research has shown.

Babies are considered premature, or preterm, if they are born before 37 weeks gestation. Scientists from the UK, Holland and the US carried out a major analysis of 30 studies, which involved around 1.5 million children. Of these, just over one in 10 (11%) was born prematurely.

The scientists found a 46% increased incidence of asthma and wheezing disorders among children born before 37 weeks gestation, compared to those born at full-term.

Furthermore, they also found that children who were born very early - at less than 32 weeks gestation - were at even greater risk. They were nearly three times more likely to develop asthma or a wheezing disorder compared to children born at full-term.

The scientists said that these findings offer ‘compelling evidence that preterm birth, particularly very preterm birth, increases the risk of asthma'.

"Given the projected global increases in children surviving preterm births, research now needs to focus on understanding underlying mechanisms, and then to translate these insights into the development of preventive interventions," they added.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, PLOS Medicine.

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