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Minor neurodevelopmental impairments are associated with increased occurrence of ADHD symptoms in children born

Silje Katrine Elgen1, Kristian Sommerfelt, Katrine Tyborg Leversen

  • 1Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, 5021, Bergen, Norway, Silje.Elgen@med.uib.no.

European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
|October 12, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Children born extremely preterm with minor neurodevelopmental impairments (NDI) show higher rates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. The more NDIs a child has, the more ADHD symptoms they tend to exhibit.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is more prevalent in preterm-born children.
  • Minor neurodevelopmental impairments (NDI) are common in extremely preterm infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between ADHD symptoms and minor neurodevelopmental impairments (NDI) in extremely preterm children.
  • To determine the extent to which NDI contributes to ADHD symptoms in this population.

Main Methods:

  • A national population-based cohort of extremely preterm children (gestational age 22-27 weeks or birth weight <1,000 g) was assessed at 5 years of age.
  • Yale Children's Inventory (YCI) scales were used to assess ADHD symptoms.
  • NDI was defined as mild impairments in cognitive function (IQ 70-84), motor function, vision, and hearing.

Main Results:

  • Children with minor NDIs had significantly higher ADHD symptom scores on YCI scales compared to those without NDI.
  • Increasing numbers of minor NDIs correlated with higher mean YCI scores.
  • Children with mild NDIs were 2.7 times more likely to have probable ADHD.

Conclusions:

  • Extremely preterm children with minor NDIs are more likely to exhibit ADHD symptoms.
  • The presence of multiple minor NDIs is associated with a greater number of ADHD symptoms.
  • Early identification and intervention for NDI in preterm infants may help mitigate ADHD symptoms.

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