Preterm births and deaths: from counting to classification

Abstract

One in ten babies worldwide is born before completing 37 weeks of gestation, resulting in 15 million preterm births every year.1 Preterm birth and related complications cause 1 million child deaths every year. Many others suffer from prematurity-related morbidities and resultant long-term adverse effects on nutritional status, brain development, and lung functions. The incidence of preterm birth is increasing in many regions of the world.2 However, strategies to prevent preterm birth and improve the evidence-based care of neonates need to recognise that preterm birth is not a single disease but an umbrella term used to describe a health status resulting from a multitude of known and unknown environmental and genetic factors.