Tuberculosis of other organs and tissues influences the fetus in proportion to the nutritional effect upon the mother or, again when involving the vertebral column or hip-joints may by their resulting deformities require premature induction of labor. Congenital tuberculosis is very rare, but does occur. In the majority of cases, not the disease per se , but the predisposition is inherited. Premature birth occurs in 30 or 35 per cent of the cases of broken compensation in heart disease . The premature infants are, in these cases, often imperfectly nourished as a result of the poor aeration of the mother's blood.
Exophthalmic goiter is occasionally the cause of premature emptying of the uterus.
If chronic dyspnea exists, as a result of laryngeal or tracheal stenosis from pressure, the development of the fetus will necessarily be retarded. Any of the acute infectious diseases may be responsible for the termination of pregnancy before the end of term. Premature labor is very common in pneumonia and influenza, being more frequent in late pregnancy. Of local conditions , diseases of the decidua or endometrium, gonorrheal infection and malpositions of the uterus frequently result in premature labor, but usually before the fetus is viable. Anomalous positions of the fetus in utero may be responsible for the premature expulsion of the uterine contents.