WOMEN’S ISSUES P B RETERM IRTH P , R F REVALENCE ISK ACTORS M AND ANAGEMENT No part of this digital document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means. The publisher has taken reasonable care in the preparation of this digital document, but makes no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of information contained herein. This digital document is sold with the clear understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, medical or any other professional services. W ’ I OMEN S SSUES Additional books and e-books in this series can be found on Nova’s website under the Series tab. WOMEN’S ISSUES P B RETERM IRTH P , R F REVALENCE ISK ACTORS M AND ANAGEMENT AGNITA MALIK AND ADAJA BAARDA EDITORS Copyright © 2020 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. 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In addition, no responsibility is assumed by the Publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property arising from any methods, products, instructions, ideas or otherwise contained in this publication. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered herein. It is sold with the clear understanding that the Publisher is not engaged in rendering legal or any other professional services. If legal or any other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent person should be sought. FROM A DECLARATION OF PARTICIPANTS JOINTLY ADOPTED BY A COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION AND A COMMITTEE OF PUBLISHERS. Additional color graphics may be available in the e-book version of this book. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Malik, Agnita, editor. | Baarda, Adaja, editor. Title: Preterm birth : prevalence, risk factors and management / Agnita Malik, Adaja Baarda. Description: New York : Nova Science Publishers, [2021] | Series: Women's issues | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Identifiers: LCCN 2020030199 (print) | LCCN 2020030200 (ebook) | ISBN 9781536182989 (paperback) | ISBN 9781536183504 (adobe pdf) Subjects: LCSH: Premature labor. | Labor (Obstetrics)--Complications. Classification: LCC RG649 .P7445 2021 (print) | LCC RG649 (ebook) | DDC 618.3/97--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020030199 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020030200 Published by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. † New York CONTENTS Preface vii Chapter 1 Epidemiological Factors for Preterm Birth: Maternal Factors 1 Panos Antsaklis, Maria Papamichail, Marianna Theodora and George Daskalakis Chapter 2 Epidemiological Factors for Preterm Birth: Paternal and Fetal Factors 45 Panos Antsaklis, Maria Papamichail, Marianna Theodora and George Daskalakis Chapter 3 The Link between DHA and Bone Turnover in the Preterm Neonate 57 Javier Diaz-Castro, Jorge Moreno-Fernandez and Julio J. Ochoa Chapter 4 Maternal Periodontal Disease and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: The Current Stand 79 Jananni Muthu and Sivaramakrishnan Muthanandam Index 105 PREFACE Preterm birth is defined by WHO as birth before the 36 weeks and 6 days of gestation or before 259 days, counting from the first day of the last menstrual period. Preterm Birth: Prevalence, Risk Factors and Management presents an overview of the epidemiologic characteristics of women who deliver their neonates prematurely, in order to understand the depth of this major obstetrical problem. Paternal risk factors, including paternal anthropometric and genetic characteristics and life-style habits, are addressed in conjunction with fetal characteristics which may be responsible for increasing the risk of preterm birth. The authors discuss three important omega-3 fatty acids for the prevention of osteopenia of the preterm newborn: alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid. The concluding study explores the mechanisms that link periodontitis with adverse pregnancy outcomes and presents a comprehensive critical review of the current scientific stand regarding this relationship. Chapter 1 - Preterm birth is defined by WHO as birth before the 36 weeks and 6 days of gestation or before 259 days, counting from the first day of the last menstrual period. Preterm birth can be sub-grouped based on gestational age as: extremely preterm birth (less than 28 weeks), very preterm (31-28 weeks), moderate to late preterm birth (32-37 weeks) or viii Agnita Malik and Adaja Baarda based on the cause of preterm birth as: spontaneous preterm birth with intact membranes, premature rupture of the membranes leading to preterm birth and indicated preterm birth due to maternal or fetal medical conditions. The latest rates of preterm birth published show that in 2014 preterm birth rate was 8.7% in Europe, while in Africa was 13.4%, estimating that 15 million babies were born preterm globally for that year. Preterm births are responsible for 65-75% of neonatal deaths and up to 75% of neonatal morbidity and contribute to long-term neurocognitive deficits, pulmonary dysfunction and ophthalmologic disorders. Despite the enormous progress made in neonatal medicine, leading to major increase of survival of the very-preterm babies, preterm birth complications are responsible for 1 million deaths among children younger than 5 five years. The aim of this chapter is to present an overview of the epidemiologic characteristics of women who deliver their neonates prematurely, in order to get to the depth of this major obstetrical problem and help to the better understanding of preterm labour, in order to get closer to the solution. Risk factors include maternal demographic characteristics (e.g., age, race- ethnicity, educational level, income and marital status), maternal behaviour such as smoking or alcohol consumption, obstetric history and complications. Chapter 2 - Preterm birth is a global subject of interest, as WHO estimated that in 2014 more than 15 million neonates were born prematurely. Despite the enormous progress in neonatology, preterm birth remains a major obstetrical problem, being responsible for 65 - 75% of neonatal deaths and 75% of neonatal morbidity. Preterm birth has been characterized as an obstetrical syndrome, with multifactorial etiology and multiple pathophysiological mechanisms, in which the immune system and its responses playing a major role. In order to decrease the incidence of preterm birth and therefore to limit its consequences, it is important to try and understand this syndrome from an epidemiologic point of view, to detect the risk factors and when possible to avoid them. In the past years, maternal risk factors for preterm delivery were the most studied ones. However, some important risk factors concerning either the fetal or the paternal side, have been proved to be equally important. In this chapter, the