Interesting prevalence factoids(?)

[Guest guest]

Excerpt from " A Fight for Survival " , statesman.com Note the 1981 date

and 30% increase. hmmmm? I think these are CDC numbers, which makes

them a bit dubious. The article doesn't cite source.

Lenny

One out of eight babies in this country arrives prematurely. That's

500,000 infants born before 37 weeks in the womb, a number that has

increased 30 percent since 1981. And technology is allowing doctors to

save more of them at an earlier age: Normal gestation is 40 weeks;

many babies born at 23 weeks now survive.

But prematurity remains the leading cause of death for newborns,

killing more than 10,000 each year. Those who survive have a higher

risk of cerebral palsy, mental retardation, poor vision, severe acid

reflux, learning disabilities and behavior problems.

Prematurity outpaces autism, which affects 1 in 150 children; multiple

sclerosis, which hits 1 in 700; and Down syndrome, which occurs in 1

out of 733.

http://tinyurl.com/2ycewx