Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 7, 2026
Non-invasive Imaging of the Innate Immune Response in a Zebrafish Larval Model of Streptococcus iniae Infection
Published on: April 21, 2015
School performance following invasive Group B Streptococcus disease in early infancy in Denmark
Malene Risager Lykke1, Henrik Toft Sørensen2, Joy Elizabeth Lawn3
1Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Center for Population Medicine, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
Insights
Children surviving invasive Group B Streptococcus (iGBS) disease showed no overall academic differences, but meningitis survivors had lower school scores. Preterm birth also impacted performance, irrespective of iGBS history.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Neurodevelopmental Outcomes
- Public Health Research
Background:
- Invasive Group B Streptococcus (iGBS) disease in infancy can lead to long-term neurodevelopmental impairments.
- Accurate prognostication of these impairments is crucial for assessing societal impacts and future care needs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify long-term neurodevelopmental impairments in children following early-infancy iGBS disease.
- To compare academic performance between iGBS survivors and a matched general population.
Main Methods:
- A population-based, matched observational study in Denmark (1997-2010 births).
- iGBS survivors (sepsis or meningitis) were compared to a 1:20 general population cohort using standardized school test scores (ages 8-15).
- Multivariable regression models analyzed performance differences by iGBS type, preterm birth, and sex.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in school performance was found between iGBS sepsis survivors and controls.
- iGBS meningitis survivors demonstrated poorer academic performance compared to controls (adj. diff. -2·74).
- Preterm birth was associated with lower scores, independent of iGBS history; no sex-based differences were observed.
Conclusions:
- Overall academic performance in Danish school children is not affected by a history of iGBS.
- iGBS meningitis and preterm birth are associated with lower standardized test scores.
- iGBS sepsis without preterm birth did not correlate with reduced academic performance.
Objectives:
Better quantification of long-term neurodevelopmental impairments following invasive Group B Streptococcus disease (iGBS) in early infancy can inform prognostication and societal impacts, including children's educational and social care needs.
Study Design:
A population-based observational prevalence study.
Methods:
Children born 1997-2010, who survived iGBS sepsis or meningitis within the first 89 days after birth and completed public school tests aged 8-15 years were matched 1:20 with a general population comparison group without iGBS by sex and year of birth in Denmark. IGBS was identified using the Danish National Patient Registry covering all Danish hospitals and International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes. Standardized school test scores from 2010 to 2019 were obtained from the Danish Ministry of Education. Adjusted differences (adj. diff.) in school performance and corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by subject type, grade, sex (at birth), and preterm birth using multivariable linear regression models with robust variance estimators.
Results:
Among 807 iGBS survivors (90.7 % sepsis, 9.3 % meningitis) and 16,140 comparators, iGBS-sepsis survivors' performance was comparable to children without iGBS across tests, subjects, or grades. However, iGBS-meningitis survivors performed poorer than their matched comparators (adj. diff. -2·74 [95 % CI -5·19; -0·29]). Preterm birth was associated with poorer performance, regardless of a history of iGBS. No difference in test scores was found between sexes.
Conclusion:
Among Danish school children, no overall difference was observed in school performance between children with a history of iGBS and comparators. However, iGBS-meningitis and preterm birth were linked to lower standardized test scores. This association was not observed in children who had iGBS-sepsis, unless they were also preterm.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
01:29Pathophysiology of Cardiac Performance
01:27Exercise and Muscle Performance
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
01:30Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Crohn's Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease, commonly known as IBD, refers to a collection of disorders that lead to persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The two types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which impacts the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can involve any part of the gastrointestinal segment.
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a chronic, systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is marked by...
01:11High-Performance Liquid Chromatography: Introduction
In HPLC, two phases play a critical role in the separation process:
00:57High-Performance Liquid Chromatography: Instrumentation