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Neurodevelopmental outcome of low-risk moderate to late preterm infants at 18 months
Mary Anne Ryan1,2, Deirdre M Murray1,2, Eugene M Dempsey1,2,3
1INFANT Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Insights
Moderate to late preterm (MLP) infants show poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 months compared to term-born infants. Early monitoring of MLP infant development is crucial for identifying potential issues.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal research
- Developmental pediatrics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Moderate to late preterm (MLP) births (32-36+6 weeks gestational age) constitute 80% of annual preterm births.
- Understanding the neurodevelopmental outcomes for this large cohort is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 months in healthy, low-risk MLP infants.
- To compare MLP infant neurodevelopment with that of healthy, term-born controls.
Main Methods:
- A single-center observational study comparing healthy MLP infants with healthy term control (TC) infants.
- Neurodevelopmental assessment using the Griffith's III at 18 months.
Main Results:
- MLP infants scored significantly lower in Eye-hand coordination, Personal/Social/Emotional Development, Gross Motor Development, and General Development compared to TC infants (p < 0.001).
- Foundations of Learning scores were also significantly lower in MLP infants (p = 0.004).
- No significant difference was observed in Language and Communication subscale scores between groups (p = 0.107).
Conclusions:
- MLP infants are at increased risk for suboptimal neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- Enhanced surveillance of the neurodevelopmental trajectory in this at-risk preterm population is warranted.
Background:
Of the 15 million preterm births that occur worldwide each year, approximately 80% occur between 32 and 36 + 6 weeks gestational age (GA) and are defined as moderate to late preterm (MLP) infants. This percentage substantiates a need for a better understanding of the neurodevelopmental outcome of this group.
Aim:
To describe neurodevelopmental outcome at 18 months in a cohort of healthy low-risk MLP infants admitted to the neonatal unit at birth and to compare the neurodevelopmental outcome to that of a healthy term-born infant group.
Study Design And Method:
This single-centre observational study compared the neurodevelopmental outcome of healthy MLP infants to a group of healthy term control (TC) infants recruited during the same period using the Griffith's III assessment at 18 months.
Results:
Seventy-five MLP infants and 92 TC infants were included. MLP infants scored significantly lower in the subscales: Eye-hand coordination (C), Personal, Social and Emotional Development (D), Gross Motor Development (E) and General Developmental (GD) (p < 0.001 for each) and Foundations of Learning (A), (p = 0.004) in comparison to the TC infant group with Cohen's d effect sizes ranging from 0.460 to 0.665. There was no statistically significant difference in mean scores achieved in subscale B: Language and Communication between groups (p = 0.107).
Conclusion:
MLP infants are at risk of suboptimal neurodevelopmental outcomes. Greater surveillance of the neurodevelopmental trajectory of this group of at-risk preterm infants is required.
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