Emily Chan
According to a new study, babies born before the 29th week of pregnancy have a much greater risk of developing panic disorder later in life. Panic disorder was present in two to four percent of individuals who participated in the study.
Typically, a human pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks. A baby born before the 37th week of pregnancy is considered a premature birth.
There are several reasons a premature birth might occur, including infections, carrying multiple babies at once, or issues with the placenta.
Health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or a history of preterm birth can also increase the risk of prematurity.
When a baby is born prematurely, they may experience difficulty with breathing and feeding because their organs are underdeveloped.
Premature birth comes with long-term health risks as well, including developmental delays, learning challenges, vision/hearing problems, and other issues.
It is estimated that 15 million babies all over the world are born prematurely every year. They make up about 11 percent of all births.
A team of researchers wanted to see if prematurely born individuals were more likely to develop anxiety and panic disorders than those carried to full term.
They hypothesized that prematurely born individuals would have higher rates of panic disorder later in life due to the stress they experienced at birth and the prolonged medical care that was required to stabilize their condition.
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