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Treatment With Inhaled Nitric Oxide and General Intelligence in Preterm Children in Two European Cohorts
Nicole Tsalacopoulos1,2,3,4, Valérie Benhammou5, Laetitia Marchand-Martin5
1Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|May 6, 2025
Summary
Inhaled nitric oxide treatment did not affect cognitive performance in preterm children. Factors like maternal education and neonatal health are key predictors of IQ in early childhood.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care and developmental pediatrics.
- Neuroscience and child psychology.
Background:
- Preterm birth is a significant risk factor for cognitive deficits.
- Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is used in neonatal intensive care, but its long-term neurodevelopmental effects are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if inhaled nitric oxide treatment impacts cognitive performance at 5-6 years in preterm-born children.
- To identify predictors of cognitive ability in this population.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of two large European cohorts: German Neonatal Network (N=3606) and EPIPAGE-2 (N=2579).
- Children were assessed for general cognitive ability using IQ tests at 5-6 years of age.
- Classification and Regression trees were used to identify predictors of IQ.
Main Results:
- Inhaled nitric oxide treatment showed no association with IQ scores in either cohort.
- Key predictors of IQ included maternal educational level, gestational age at hospital discharge, intraventricular hemorrhage, and maternal country of birth.
Conclusions:
- Inhaled nitric oxide treatment does not appear to influence long-term cognitive outcomes in preterm children.
- Cognitive performance in early childhood is influenced by a combination of neonatal health, brain development, and socioeconomic factors.
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