Neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants born to preeclamptic mothers - A case-control study

Preeclampsia during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk for various neonatal morbidities. We aimed to investigate the association between prematurity due to maternal preeclampsia and developmental outcomes.

This retrospective matched case-control study included 39 preterm infants (<32 weeks gestation) born to preeclamptic mothers between 2012 and 2016, compared with 39 infants born to mothers without preeclampsia. The two groups were matched for gestational age (±1 week), gender and plurality. Neurodevelopmental outcome was assessed using the Griffith's Mental Developmental Scales at 6, 12 and 24 months corrected age.

The groups were comparable in terms of gestational age (30.2 weeks vs 29.8, P = 0.6), exposure to antenatal glucocorticosteroids and magnesium sulfate. The two groups differed significantly in birthweight so that cases had significantly lower birthweight, 1100 (IQR 844.5-1316.5) vs. 1370 (IQR 1174-1604.5) grams. 19/39 (48.7%) cases were small for gestational age compared with only 4/39 (10.3%) controls (P < 0.01). 16/39 of cases were born less than 1000 g, compared with only 5/39 controls (41% vs 12.8%, P < 0.01). Early complications were similar. Compared with controls, an overall trend for better neurodevelopmental performance on Griffith's score was found for cases, especially for early (6 months) non-motor performance. All severely disabled infants (Griffith's score < 55) at 24 months assessment were among controls.

Although significantly smaller and smaller for gestational age, neurodevelopmental assessment by Griffiths' Mental Development Scales was similar for cases and controls with a trend towards better performance of cases at 6 months. Further studies are needed to determine whether the trend for better performance implies a developmental advantage.