Sanderson K, O’Shea TM, Kistler CE.
Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2023 Jun;62(5):385-388. doi: 10.1177/00099228221132126. Epub 2022 Oct 21. PMID: 36271655; PMCID: PMC10119330.
Well-child Bright Futures screenings provide considerable benefits for child health and disease prevention; however, the benchmarks and screening for the many children with medical comorbidities are less well defined. With advancements in pediatric medicine, more children are living well with chronic diseases such as asthma, obesity, and hypertension. For these children, a more individualized approach to screening for comorbidities is needed. Many studies indicate that biological aging is accelerated among childhood survivors of critical illness and disease.1–4 We suggest that a risk-stratification framework for chronic disease, based on early life and childhood exposures, will enhance early chronic disease recognition and improve long-term health outcomes in children. One of the most prevalent risk factors for long-term morbidity in children that pediatricians encounter is preterm birth. While an individualized approach to screening for comorbidities would benefit all children with a chronic diagnosis or a history of prolonged hospital course, the specific example on which we focus on in this commentary is the relationship between preterm birth and chronic kidney disease (CKD).