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Updated: Nov 9, 2025

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
19:15

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

86.9K

Neonatal hyperglycaemia is associated with worse neurodevelopmental outcomes in extremely preterm infants

Itay Zamir1, Elisabeth Stoltz Sjöström2, Fredrik Ahlsson3

  • 1Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden itay.zamir@umu.se.

Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition
|April 17, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Neonatal hyperglycemia in extremely preterm infants is linked to poorer long-term cognitive and motor outcomes. Insulin treatment did not impact these neurodevelopmental results, highlighting the need for further research.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatalogy
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Extremely preterm infants (<27 weeks gestation) face significant neurodevelopmental challenges.
  • Neonatal hyperglycemia is a common complication in this vulnerable population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between neonatal hyperglycemia and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in extremely preterm infants.
  • To evaluate the impact of insulin treatment on these outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • An observational national cohort study (Extremely Preterm Infants in Sweden Study) included 533 infants born <27 weeks gestation.
  • Neurodevelopmental assessments, including cognitive (WISC-IV) and motor (MABC-2) functions, were performed at 6.5 years of age for 436 survivors.

Main Results:

  • Each day of neonatal hyperglycemia (>8 mmol/L) was associated with a decrease in Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) and Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2 (MABC-2) total scores.
  • Persistent hyperglycemia (≥3 consecutive days) correlated with significantly lower MABC-2 scores.
  • Insulin treatment showed no association with any assessed neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • Neonatal hyperglycemia is a significant risk factor for impaired cognitive and motor development in extremely preterm children.
  • Current insulin treatment strategies do not appear to mitigate these adverse neurodevelopmental effects.
  • Further randomized controlled trials are essential to determine optimal management of neonatal hyperglycemia in extremely preterm infants.
Abstract

Keywords:
endocrinologyneonatologyneurology

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