INTRODUCTION Globally PTB [<37 weeks gestational duration] is the major cause of death and disease in newborns, particularly in developing countries (Bonamy et al. 2005). Approximately 15 million babies with preterm birth (PTB) born each year and 28% of child deaths are related to prematurity (D'Silva et al. 2018). METHOD A subset of 15 appropriate studies to pool potential causes and 9 eligible studies considering possible effects of PTB from 2004 to 2021 was collected. RESULTS CAUSES: Yang et al. (2016) found the elevation in urinary Cadmium was associated with increased chance of PTB. Owen et al. (2017) described that anxiety and depression are the major factors predicting PTB. Zhang et al. (2017) discovered a significant association of four loci EBF1, EEFSEC, AGTR2 and WNT4 with gestational period. Tabatabaei et al. (2017) described that insufficiency of VTD increases the risk of PTB. Jue Liu et al. (2017) proved that HBV in mothers increases the risk of developing PTB. Stout et al. (2017) concluded that decreased vaginal microbiome community leads to PTB. Núria Baños et al. (2018) observed significant reduction in cervical consistency index in women who labored at <37 weeks. Jiang et al. (2018) found that approximately three times higher Thalium concentration was related to 0.99-day reduction in gestational duration. Liu et al. (2018) determined that risk of small gestational age increases by arsenic exposure in third trimester. Kolstad et al. (2020) estimated the risk for PTB by all autoimmune rheumatic diseases. Xiong et al. (2020) described the inverse relation of maternal plasma total protein level with PTB risk. Anderson et al. (2021) determined that HIV exposed unaffected infants experience PTB and low birthweight more than HIV unexposed unaffected infants. Yuan et al. (2021) supported the link between maternal thyroid dysfunction and PTB. Vousden et al. (2021) found that risk of cesarean and PTB increases with impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection infection on pregnant females. EFFECTS Paul et al. (2004) proved experimentally that children with PTB may face risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Anna-Karin et al. (2005) concluded that PTB face future cardiovascular risk. Mai luu et al. (2009) that more school services are required for preterm children in reading, writing and mathematics. Ball et al. (2012) evidenced the disruption of cerebral development due to PTB. Carr et al. (2017) described the strong association of heart failure with PTB. Crump et al. (2019) found the association of 20-30% increased risk of Chronic Kidney disease from birth to mid adulthood with PTB. He et al. (2020) indicated that PTB may cause obstructive lung diseases. Seppälä et al. (2020) described that PTB increases the risk of childhood cancer particularly germ cell tumors and acute myeloid leukemia. kumari et al. (2021) noticed the higher incident of cardio metabolic diseases in survivors of PTB. CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study that summarize the potential causes and effects of PTB. It will help clinicians to overcome the major causes of birth mortalities and to improve the outcomes of at-risk pregnancies.