Although the care of premature infants has improved dramatically in recent decades, around 20% of extremely preterm infnats (born before 28+0 weeks of gestation) still die in Sweden. Common causes of these deaths are severe complications such as sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and impaired neurodevelopment. There are clear associations between the diet of these children and the risk of NEC, severe infections and neurological disabilities. Extremely preterm infnats are also at high risk of impaired lung function during later childhood.
Our research group is studying whether diet can reduce these complications. We do this, among other things, in randomized intervention studies (please see the separate link to the N forte study below), and by studying how different factors in breast milk are associated with growth and complications in these infants.
Why NEC develops is not clear, but factors related to nutrition such as impaired motility in the gastrointestinal tract, impaired intestinal barrier and immature immune response in the intestinal mucosa are considered important. All of these factors can affect and are affected by the intestinal microbiota. We have therefore analyzed the gut microbiome in several studies, but also conducted randomized intervention studies with probiotics (please see link to the PROPEL study below) and participate in several other national probiotic studies.
The laboratory parts of the PROPEL study and the N-forte study enable continued studies of the underlying mechanisms of poor growth, severe immune-mediated complications (e.g. NEC) and impaired lung function and neurodevelopment. These extensive omics analyses are also the basis of our work to identify biomarkers that predict these complications.
Our research includes several follow-up studies of neurodevelopment and lung function up to the age of 14. We also study the quality of life of these children up to late adolescence.
In addition, we conduct research in perinatology, i.e. studies in collaboration with obstetricians where we evaluate new ways of taking care of mother and neonate during childbirth. In the PreDECESS study, we evaluate late umbilical the cord clamping and immediate skin-to-skin contact in deliveries of premature babies, and in the SUCCECS study, we evaluate late umbilical cord clamping in emergency cesarean sections due to threatened fetal asphyxia.
