Death of children with Down syndrome by gestational age and cause

We often encounter preterm infants with Down syndrome (DS) who die in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In this study, we examined survival until NICU discharge and assessed the developmental prognosis of preterm infants with DS.

We retrospectively reviewed 416 infants with DS hospitalized during the past 27 years at our NICU.

Death occurred in 8/20 (40%) infants at <32 weeks' gestation, 11/23 (48%) at 32-33 weeks, 9/99 (9%) at 34-36 weeks, and 9/274 (3%) at >36 weeks. In total, 84% of infants who died and 25% of those who survived had a non-reassuring fetal status (p < 0.001). Sex, small-for-gestational-age status, and postnatal transport were not associated with death. The main causes of death were bronchopulmonary dysplasia in 4/8 (50%) infants at <32 weeks' gestation, transient abnormal myelopoiesis in 11/20 (55%) and lymphatic dysplasia in 6/20 (30%) at 32-36 weeks, and varied causes at >36 weeks. Among survivors born at <34 weeks' gestation, 6/19 (32%) aged >2 years had moderate or severe cerebral palsy.

These data on the high mortality and morbidity of preterm infants with DS may be useful for patient treatment and parent counseling in NICUs treating critically ill infants.

Most infants with Down syndrome born at <34 weeks' gestation are born by cesarean section because of the non-reassuring fetal status. The mortality rate before discharge for infants with Down syndrome born at <34 weeks' gestation was 40%, and 30% of survivors developed moderate or severe cerebral palsy. The risk of death due to bronchopulmonary dysplasia and pulmonary hypertension was high in very preterm infants with Down syndrome despite the absence of chorioamnionitis. Infants with Down syndrome were born 1-2 weeks earlier than unaffected controls.