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Very preterm birth is associated with disabilities in multiple developmental domains
Anneloes L van Baar1, Aleid G van Wassenaer, Judy M Briët
1Department of Psychology and Health, Pediatric Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands. a.vanbaar@uvt.nl
Journal of Pediatric Psychology
|March 24, 2005
Summary
Most extremely preterm children experience multiple developmental disabilities, impacting neurological, motor, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes. This highlights the complex challenges faced by these vulnerable infants.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neonatology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Follow-up studies often assess developmental domains separately in very preterm children.
- Multiple disabilities indicate a more severe outcome and may correlate with perinatal issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of normal, single, and multiple disabilities in very preterm children at 5.5 years corrected age.
- To identify factors associated with multiple disabilities in this population.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated 157 children born before 30 weeks gestation at 5.5 years corrected age.
- Assessed neurological, motor, cognitive, and behavioral domains.
- Categorized children into normal, single disability, or multiple disability groups.
- Compared background, clinical characteristics, and 2-year neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Main Results:
- 39% had normal development, 17% had a single disability, and 44% had multiple disabilities.
- Multiple disabilities were linked to lower birth weight, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), and prior neurodevelopmental difficulties.
- This indicates a significant burden of multiple impairments in extremely preterm infants.
Conclusions:
- Most very preterm children exhibit multiple disabilities across various developmental domains.
- Comprehensive assessment is crucial for understanding the full spectrum of challenges in this cohort.