Premature Birth Nationally

Every year, 1 out of 10 infants born in the United States are premature, or born earlier than 37 weeks of gestation. In 2022, the rate of 10.4% was the first slight decrease in the rate of prematurity, after reaching a 10-year high of 10.5% in 2021. Consistently the USA is in the top 8 countries with the highest number of preterm births, with our per capita rate 3 percentage points higher than our high-income peers. In comparison, the preterm birth rate in Sub-Saharan Africa is 10.1%.

Nationally, 35.8% of infant deaths are caused by preterm birth itself or resulting complications. Our nation fares worse when taking race into consideration, with Black infants 1.5 times more likely to be born premature than other infants.

Premature Birth Locally

The Margaret M. and George A. Stephen Neonatal Intensive Care Unit cared for 468 premature infants in 2022. Across Cook County, 5,386 infants were born preterm in 2022, disproportionately affecting Black families. Over 14% of Black infants born in Cook County were preterm, compared to just over 8% for white infants.

The University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) is resuscitating infants at 22-weeks gestational age, 2 weeks earlier than many of our peer-institutions. While we know that we can keep our youngest patients alive, science knows very little about the development of the individual patient in front of us or optimal development more broadly. The SET Center utilizes the resources of the University of Chicago to identify biomarkers for biological development to improve the healthcare we provide premature infants while in our NICU and after they graduate.

Why Infants are Born Premature

Science has not yet determined the cause of premature birth. Some possible factors, according to the March of Dimes, are smoking, multiple births, and insurance coverage. The World Health Organization includes other potential causes including infections, pregnancy complications, or possible genetic influences. Thousands of infants are born in the USA alone preterm. The SET Center aims to improve the care we offer to our most vulnerable patients arriving everyday.