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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Alan Fenton
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© The Author(s) 2025. Background: To estimate the association between very preterm birth combined with the presence of a congenital anomaly and economic costs during the fifth year of life in Europe. Methods: An economic analysis was embedded within a population-based prospective cohort study, including all infants born between 22 + 0 and 31 + 6 weeks’ gestation in 2011–2012 in 19 regions across 11 European countries. Economic costs (€, 2022 prices) during the fifth year of life were estimated for children born very preterm with (n = 313) and without (n = 3374) a congenital anomaly, and by severity of congenital anomaly. Multilevel generalised linear models explored factors associated with economic costs by anomaly severity. Results: Total mean societal costs during the fifth year of life were significantly higher among very preterm children born before 32 weeks with a congenital anomaly than those without (unadjusted mean cost difference: €2760, p = 0.02). A multilevel model including socioeconomic, clinical characteristics, and complications of preterm birth, showed that total mean societal costs were €3281 higher for children born before 32 weeks with congenital anomalies compared to those without (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Very preterm birth combined with the presence of a congenital anomaly generates significant economic costs on health and social care systems in Europe. Impact: Very preterm birth combined with the presence of a congenital anomaly is associated with increased health and social service costs and increased societal costs during the fifth year of life. Additional severe neonatal morbidity is independently associated with increased costs in this population. Very preterm birth together with a congenital anomaly creates substantial economic burdens for health and social care systems and families five years after birth.
Author(s): Siljehav V, Seppanen A-V, Maier RF, Varendi H, Draper E, Andronis L, Cuttini M, Zeitlin J, Petrou S, Seppanen AV, El Rafei R, Bonnet C, Aubert AM, Zeitlin J, Andronis L, Kim SW, Kim SW, Petrou S, Pfeil JM, Thiele N, Mader S, Johnson SJ, Fenton A, Draper ES, Aden U, Rodrigues C, Costa R, Barros PH, Pikula T, Montgomery A, Mazela J, Gadzinowski J, Koopman-Esseboom C, Ferrari F, Faldella G, Ancora G, Carnielli V, Croci I, Cuttini IM, Wohlers L, Misselwitz B, Zemlin M, Maier RF, Truffert P, Pierrat V, Jarreau PH, Burguet A, Ancel PY, Mannamaa M, Varendi H, Toome L, Pedersen P, Boerch K, Sarrechia I, Ortibus E, Oostra A, Cloet E, Bruneel E, Van Reempts P, Lebeer J
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Pediatric Research
Year: 2026
Pages: Epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 07/01/2026
Acceptance date: 12/01/2025
Date deposited: 03/02/2026
ISSN (print): 0031-3998
ISSN (electronic): 1530-0447
Publisher: Springer Nature
URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-025-04672-z
DOI: 10.1038/s41390-025-04672-z
Data Access Statement: The data that support the findings of this study were used under license for the current study, and so are not publicly available.
PubMed id: 41501409
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