31 Jan 2026 • Late preterm infants born to mothers with preeclampsia faced a markedly higher risk of apnea of prematurity, with the excess risk driven almost entirely by early-onset disease, a recent study revealed.

In 470 singleton deliveries at 34–36 weeks’ gestation, apnea occurred in nearly 28% of infants. Any maternal preeclampsia more than doubled the odds of apnea (aOR 2.44), but infants exposed to preeclampsia diagnosed before 34 weeks had over threefold higher odds (aOR 3.42). In contrast, late-onset preeclampsia was not significantly associated with apnea risk (aOR 1.88).

The findings position early-onset preeclampsia as a clinically important, independent risk factor for apnea of prematurity even in late preterm infants.

Source: WILEY | Read full story