School-aged neurodevelopmental outcomes for children born extremely preterm.

Area of Science:

• Neonatal research
• Developmental pediatrics
• Longitudinal child health studies

Background:

• Improved survival rates for extremely preterm (EP) infants (<28 weeks' gestation) necessitate focus on long-term outcomes.
• School-age assessments are crucial for understanding lifelong functioning in EP survivors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the long-term functional and quality-of-life outcomes for children born extremely preterm.
• To identify persistent challenges faced by EP survivors at school age.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of school-aged children born extremely preterm versus term-born controls.
• Assessment of intellectual, executive, academic, motor function, and health-related quality of life.

Main Results:

• Extremely preterm children exhibit significantly higher rates of intellectual impairment.
• Poorer executive, academic, and motor functions are prevalent in EP survivors.
• Neurodevelopmental disabilities and reduced health-related quality of life are common in EP children.

Conclusions:

• Adverse outcomes for extremely preterm children remain unacceptably high.
• Some outcomes may be worsening over time, highlighting an urgent need for intervention.
• New strategies targeting prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal periods are a priority to improve long-term functioning and quality of life.