Challenges in defining and classifying the preterm birth syndrome

Michael S Kramer; Aris Papageorghiou; Jennifer Culhane; Zulfiqar Bhutta; Robert L Goldenberg; Michael Gravett; Jay D Iams; Agustin Conde-Agudelo; Sarah Waller; Fernando Barros; Hannah Knight; Jose Villar

doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2011.10.864

Challenges in defining and classifying the preterm birth syndrome

Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2012 Feb;206(2):108-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2011.10.864. Epub 2011 Oct 25.

Authors

Michael S Kramer¹, Aris Papageorghiou, Jennifer Culhane, Zulfiqar Bhutta, Robert L Goldenberg, Michael Gravett, Jay D Iams, Agustin Conde-Agudelo, Sarah Waller, Fernando Barros, Hannah Knight, Jose Villar

Affiliation

¹ Departments of Pediatrics and of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

PMID: 22118964
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2011.10.864

Abstract

In 2009, the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth Conference charged the authors to propose a new comprehensive, consistent, and uniform classification system for preterm birth. This first article reviews issues related to measurement of gestational age, clinical vs etiologic phenotypes, inclusion vs exclusion of multifetal and stillborn infants, and separation vs combination of pathways to preterm birth. The second article proposes answers to the questions raised here, and the third demonstrates how the proposed system might work in practice.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Female
Gestational Age
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature
Pregnancy
Premature Birth / classification
Premature Birth / diagnosis*
Premature Birth / prevention & control