The results of research into the cost of premature babies to the public purse that was funded by
Tommy’s, the baby charity, were
published this week. Researchers at the Oxford Centre for Health Economics looked at healthcare, education and the costs to parents and found that premature births cost the UK an extra £939 million a year. The study showed that more funding for research into the ways to delay premature births could save £260 million a year.
The Chief Executive of Tommy’s said, “better neonatal care had improved the likelihood of these babies surviving but they still faced considerable difficulties.”
There are a number of other research projects that look at the survival and later health status of children born premature. For example the
EPICure Study , established in 1995, identified all 4000 births between 20 and 25 weeks + 6 days in the UK and the Republic of Ireland during 10 months of 1995. Just under three quarters of the original group of 4,000 premature babies did not show signs of life at birth. Just over a quarter - 1,185 - were born alive.
This group of 1,185 children has been followed up at 1 year, 2.5 years, 6-8 years, and 10-11 years of age (EPICure 1). It is hoped the study will also identify factors at birth that could give an indication as to the long term outcome for the survivors.
The EPICure 1 study showed that the percentage of the 1,185 babies born alive in 1995 who survived to leave hospital was:
If an extremely premature baby survives to leave hospital, he or she may grow up with disabilities. In the EPICure 1 study, about two thirds of the babies born between 23 to 24 weeks who survived, had moderate or severe disabilities. By 25 to 26 weeks, two thirds had no or mild disabilities. However, children who have disabilities due to prematurity represent an extremely small proportion of the total number of children with disabilities in the UK.
The EPICure 1 data on incidence of disability amongst survivors can be summarised as:
The EPICure 1 children were born some 13-14 years ago, so - unsurprisingly - more recent data (from the UK and other European countries) indicate that survival rates are higher now. Since 1995, neonatal intensive care has improved and accordingly it was decided to repeat the EPICure study to see what changes there have been on the survival rates and outcomes for surviving children. In 2006 another cohort of babies (EPICure 2) born at 26 weeks and less were recruited and these children will be followed up at 2.5 years of age in the same way as the 1995 group.
Surviving babies born extremely premature have a greater risk of disability, although these children represent a very small proportion of the total number of children with disabilities. Babies born at any age can have brain injury or structural abnormalities of the brain, or be affected by a range of other serious conditions. The availability of support services for disabled children and adults and their families varies across the UK. There is an inconsistency in saving the lives of the very young without providing sufficient care and support for the children who survive. The Government should accept further responsibility for ensuring that disabled children and their families receive equal access to high quality services.
Through its extensive experience of dealing with cases involving premature births, the Clinical Negligence department at Leigh Day is all too aware of the difficulties faced by premature babies and their parents, which go far beyond economic cost.
For this reason, we welcome the further Tommy’s-funded investigation into the cause of premature births, miscarriage and stillbirth. Leigh Day are particularly pleased to see that, given the potentially serious consequences of pre-eclampsia for both mother and baby, the research will be directed at identifying and treating pre-eclampsia at an earlier stage of pregnancy, thus prolonging the pregnancy and improving chances for mother and baby.
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