Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41168876›Full record

ArticleGenome medicine2025

Investigating the interplay between prematurity and genetic variation in the context of rare developmental disorders.

Olivia Wootton, Patrick Campbell, Sarah Richardson, Sarah J Lindsay, Qin Qin Huang, Erwan Delage, Sana Amanat, Hilary S Wong, Helen V Firth, Matthew E Hurles and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Genome medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Genetic confounding in the associations between maternal health and autism.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Olivia Wootton *Human Genetics Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK.
Patrick Campbell *Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London, UK.
Sarah RichardsonOxford Centre for Genomic Medicine, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK.
Sarah J LindsayHuman Genetics Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK.
Qin Qin HuangHuman Genetics Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK.
Erwan DelageHuman Genetics Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK.
Sana AmanatHuman Genetics Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK.
Hilary S WongCambridge University Hospitals Foundation Trust, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Helen V FirthHuman Genetics Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK.
Matthew E HurlesHuman Genetics Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK.
Michael A SimpsonDepartment of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London, UK.
Elizabeth J Radford *Human Genetics Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK.
Hilary C Martin *Human Genetics Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK. hcm@sanger.ac.uk.

Funding

King's College London EP/Y035216/1Wellcome TrustWellcome Trust 220540/Z/20/A
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRare damaging genetic variation accounts for a substantial proportion of the risk of rare developmental disorders (DDs), but common genetic variants as well as environmental factors, including prematurity, also contribute. Little is known about the interplay between prematurity and genetic variation in influencing phenotypic outcomes in DDs, nor about how genetic factors may contribute to risk of preterm birth in DDs.

methodsWe leveraged phenotypic and genetic data from 21,712 patients with DDs recruited for clinical sequencing, 16% of whom were born prematurely. Using multivariable regression models, we compared phenotypic features and the prevalence of diagnostic genetic variation in specific genes between preterm and term individuals with DDs. We tested whether the fraction of cases attributable to de novo mutations differed between term and preterm probands. Additionally, we assessed whether associations between common variant contributions to education-related traits and prematurity are explained by direct genetic effects.

resultsPrematurity was associated with more severe clinical phenotypes among these DD patients, including more affected organ systems and more delayed developmental milestones. Prematurity and the presence of a monogenic diagnosis contributed additively to severity. We found that genes associated with fetal anomalies were enriched for diagnostic mutations among preterm individuals (p = 7.83 × 10

conclusionsOur findings emphasise the importance of considering environmental factors like prematurity in understanding outcomes in DDs suspected to have a genetic component, and motivate further exploration of the role that genetic variation plays in influencing prematurity.

Indexed as

Developmental DisabilitiesGenetic VariationPremature BirthRare DiseasesFemaleGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseHumansInfant, NewbornInfant, PrematureMaleMutationPhenotypeDe novo mutationsGenomicsMonogenicNeurodevelopmental conditionsPrematurity

Identifiers

PMID41168876
PMCPMC12574137

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.