A recent study carried out by the researchers from the Linkoping University in Sweden has claimed that premature babies are at a higher risk of developing asthma as compared to mature ones.

The babies are considered mature if they have completed 37 weeks in the womb. Experts believe that every week in the womb is important for the kids as it is linked with the development of their organs.

Hartmut Vogt, MD, from the Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University in Sweden, and said that "Preterm birth is associated with respiratory morbidity later in life, including asthma".

The researchers of the study evaluated 1,100,826 children aged 6 to 19 years who were enrolled in a Swedish register. These children were evaluated for the degree of use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS).

The results of the evaluation revealed that preterm babies were at an increased the risk of ICS use in these 6 to 19 year old kids. The study has also found that gestational age is an important factor in determining the risk of using ICS. Gestational age had an equal impact on both boys and girls.