9 Sept 2025 • A study of 2,459 children showed that preterm birth, especially with NICU admission, was linked to a higher risk of persistent hypertension through adolescence.

Key Findings:

• Hypertension affected 25.2% of preterm children vs 15.8% of full-term peers.
• Risks were greatest in preterm infants with NICU complications such as sepsis, chronic lung disease, necrotizing enterocolitis, or intraventricular hemorrhage (aHR 2.37).
• Even preterm infants without complications but requiring NICU care had an elevated risk (aRR 1.62).

These children also tracked higher systolic and diastolic BP percentiles up to age 18, underscoring the long-term cardiovascular burden of prematurity and the need for ongoing monitoring.

Source: JAMA Network | Read Full Story