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Preterm infants, housing

Preterm infants might be more vulnerable than term infants to housing factors such as overcrowding, use of gas ovens, dampness and mold, British researchers reported.

Subjects included 117 preterm infants less than 32 weeks' gestation and 226 controls. Parents recorded data that were confirmed by environmental health officers who visited homes to validate mold, overcrowding and methods of heating and cooking.

Results over a one-year period showed: 46 percent of preterm infants sustained lower respiratory infections compared with 26 percent in controls; 50 percent had upper respiratory infections compared with 31 percent in controls; 40 percent had diarrhea and vomiting compared with 27 percent of controls; and 14 percent had otitis media compared with 8 percent of term babies.