Gestational age at birth and risk of gastric acid-related disorders in young adulthood.

Preterm birth is associated with gastric acid-related disorders in infancy, but no investigators have examined this association beyond early childhood. We used antisecretory medication data to explore whether preterm birth is associated with gastric acid-related disorders in young adulthood. We conducted a national cohort study of 626,811 individuals born in Sweden in 1973 to 1979, followed up for antisecretory (proton pump inhibitor and H2-receptor antagonist) medication prescriptions from all outpatient and inpatient pharmacies nationwide from 2005 to 2009 (ages 25.5-37.0 years). We excluded individuals with congenital anomalies, and examined potential confounding by other comorbidities identified on the basis of oral anti-inflammatory or corticosteroid medication prescription. Gestational age at birth was inversely associated with antisecretory medication prescription in young adulthood. Adjusted odds ratios for ≥1 antisecretory medication prescription/year were 3.38 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.73-6.62) for individuals born at 22-27 weeks, 1.38 (95% CI, 1.19-1.60) for those born at 28-34 weeks, and 1.19 (95% CI, 1.06-1.32) for those born at 35-36 weeks, relative to those born full-term (37-42 weeks). Exclusion of individuals who were prescribed oral anti-inflammatory or corticosteroid medications (≥1/year) had little effect on these results. These findings suggest that low gestational age at birth may be independently associated with an increased risk of gastric acid-related disorders in young adulthood. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Citation

Casey Crump, Marilyn A Winkleby, Jan Sundquist, Kristina Sundquist. Gestational age at birth and risk of gastric acid-related disorders in young adulthood. Annals of epidemiology. 2012 Apr;22(4):233-8

Mesh Tags

PMID: 22382080

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