Consequences of Antenatal Inflammation and Postnatal Steroids for Cardiac Growth and Maturation

Preterm infants are born at a time when the heart is developmentally immature and has to adapt quickly to postnatal life. This thesis highlights the complexity of the effects of preterm birth on the heart and investigates the consequences of antenatal inflammation and postnatal steroid exposure in the preterm infant for the development and maturation of the immature heart. The findings from this thesis show how preterm birth and factors associated with preterm birth lead to adaptive changes in heart growth and thus, highlight the importance of monitoring the lifelong cardiac health of individuals born preterm.