Hematopoietic cellular aging is not accelerated during the first 2 years of life in children born preterm.

Background: Prematurity in itself and exposure to neonatal intensive care triggers inflammatory processes and oxidative stress, leading to risk for disease later in life. The effects on cellular aging processes are incompletely understood.

Methods: Relative telomere length (RTL) was measured by qPCR in this longitudinal cohort study with blood samples taken at birth and at 2 years of age from 60 children (16 preterm and 44 term). Viral respiratory infections the first year were evaluated. Epigenetic biological DNA methylation (DNAm) age was predicted based on methylation array data in 23 children (11 preterm and 12 term). RTL change/year and DNAm age change/year was compared in preterm and term during the 2 first years of life.

Results: Preterm infants had longer telomeres than term born at birth and at 2 years of age, but no difference in telomere attrition rate could be detected. Predicted epigenetic DNAm age was younger in preterm infants, but rate of DNAm aging was similar in both groups.

Conclusions: Despite early exposure to risk factors for accelerated cellular aging, children born preterm exhibited preserved telomeres. Stress during the neonatal intensive care period did not reflect accelerated epigenetic DNAm aging. Early-life aging was not explained by preterm birth.

Impact: Preterm birth is associated with elevated disease risk later in life. Preterm children often suffer from inflammation early in life. Stress-related telomere erosion during neonatal intensive care has been proposed. Inflammation-accelerated biological aging in preterm is unknown. We find no accelerated aging due to prematurity or infections during the first 2 years of life.