Long Term Outcomes of Preterm Birth: The Role of Epigenetics

It is well established that preterm birth is associated with an increased risk for major neurosensory impairments. In addition to this, “minor” or “high prevalence/low severity” morbidities can significantly impact school performance and are prevalent in more than 50 percent of preterm survivors. Despite improved neuroimaging techniques and understanding of the factors contributing to brain injury in this population, there continues to be significant difficulty in defining what factors influence risk for adverse outcome in this population. The emerging field of epigenetics may shed additional light on this issue. The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible contributions of epigenetic processes relative to adverse neurodevelopmental outcome and to review nursing interventions which may reduce or ameliorate this risk.