The health and educational costs of preterm birth to 18 years of age in Australia

Abstract

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Long-term expiratory airflow of infants born moderate-late preterm: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…A recent decision-analytic model estimated that for the first 18 years of life, a hypothetical birth cohort of 314,814 children - the number of total births in 2016 in Australia – a preterm birth rate of 8.5% will bear a cost of 1.413 billion Australian dollars, 39% of which is attributed to those born MLP. 7 A similar societal economic burden also exists within the US, where the current total incremental lifetime cost of an infant born MLP in 2016 is estimated to be 28,367 US dollars. 51 A 2016 MLP birth rate of 8.26% equated to 325,361 neonates being born MLP in the US.…”

“…4 , 5 , 6 As infants born MLP vastly outnumber very preterm (VP; 28 to <32 weeks’ gestation) and extremely preterm (EP; <28 weeks’ gestation) survivors, morbidity in those born MLP may result in substantial economic and healthcare burden. 7 …”

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“…A further literature review has also revealed that during the last 50 years, preterm birth PTB has significantly impacted mortality rates during early and middle adulthood [8]. As well as contributing to lifelong disability, preterm birth imposes significant economic burdens on society [9]. Babies with low birth weights due to premature births have been at the forefront of the healthcare sector.…”

Cost-effectiveness of antenatal corticosteroids and tocolytic agents in the management of preterm birth: A systematic review

“…3 In Australia, an estimated A$1.4 billion is spent annually on healthcare and educational costs associated with preterm children until 18 years of age. 4 …”