Author Interviews, OBGYNE, Pediatrics, PLoS / 16.09.2016
Cause and Preventative Treatment of Most Preterm Births Remains Unknown
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Joseph Leigh Simpson, MD FACOG, FACMG
President at International Federation of Fertility Societies
March of Dimes Foundation
White Plains, NY
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Preterm birth (PTB) is the most common single cause of perinatal and infant mortality, affecting 15 million infants worldwide each year with global rates increasing. A total of 1.1 million infants die each year. Preterm births and their complications are the leading cause of deaths in children under age 5.
The biological basis of preterm birth remains poorly understood, and for that reason, preventive interventions are often empiric and have only limited benefit. Large differences exist in preterm birth rates across high income countries: 5.5 percent in Sweden and at present 9.6 percent in the U.S. The International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (FIGO)/March of Dimes Working Group on Preterm Birth Prevention hypothesized that identifying the risk factors underlying these wide variations could lead to interventions that reduce preterm birth in countries having high rates.
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