title: Effects of premature birth on the risk for alcoholism appear to be greater in males than females.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A large Danish birth cohort was used to test the independent and joint effects of perinatal measures associated with premature birth as predictors of the development of alcoholism in male and female subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were born at the Copenhagen University Hospital between 1959 and 1961 (N = 9,125). A comprehensive series of measures was obtained for each of the 8,109 surviving and eligible infants before birth, during birth, shortly after birth, and at 1 year. The adult alcoholism outcome was defined as any ICD-10 F10 diagnosis (Mental and behavioral disorders due to alcohol use) or an equivalent ICD-8 diagnosis found in the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register or the Municipal Alcohol Clinics of Copenhagen by 2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multiple perinatal markers of premature birth independently predicted the development of an alcoholism diagnosis in male (n = 310) but not female (n = 138) subjects. Logistic regression modeling with a global prematurity score, adjusted for social status, maternal smoking, and gender, indicated a significant association of prematurity score for males (p < .02), but not females (p = .51), on the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that neurodevelopmental sequelae of premature birth are associated with gender-specific effects on the development of alcoholism in the male baby: small, premature, or growth-delayed male babies appear to be selectively vulnerable to alcoholic drinking years later. The findings implicate neurodevelopmental influences in alcoholism pathophysiology in males and suggest the possibility of distinct, gender-specific pathways in the etiology of severe problem drinking.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Mail Stop 4015, Kansas City, Kansas 66160, USA. amanzardo@kumc.edu
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Manzardo
authors.forename: Wendy V
authors.initials: WV
authors.lastname: Madarasz
authors.forename: Elizabeth C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Penick
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Knop
authors.forename: Erik Lykke
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.forename: Holger J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Sorensen
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Mahnken
authors.forename: Ulrik
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Nickel
authors.forename: William F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Gabrielli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors