Related Experiment Videos
Neurodevelopmental profile at five years of children born at < or = 32 weeks gestation
E Herrgård1, L Luoma, K Tuppurainen
1Department of Paediatrics, Kuopio University Hospital, Finland.
Insights
Preterm children often experience neurodevelopmental issues, including motor and visual-spatial problems, by age five. These challenges persist even in preterm infants without major disabilities, highlighting the need for early intervention.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
- Child Health
Background:
- Preterm birth (gestational age ≤ 32 weeks) is associated with increased risks of neurodevelopmental impairments.
- Long-term follow-up is crucial to understand the spectrum of challenges faced by preterm infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively assess neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm children up to five years of age.
- To identify specific neurodevelopmental abnormalities in preterm children, with and without major disabilities.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study of 60 preterm children and 60 matched controls.
- Comprehensive neurodevelopmental assessment using neurological, neuropsychological, ophthalmological, and hearing examinations at age five.
Main Results:
- Major disabilities in preterm children were linked to motor, visual-spatial, and visual problems.
- Motor (gross, fine, visual-motor) and visual-spatial difficulties were common in preterm children without major disabilities.
- Language difficulties were not associated with hearing impairments; visual-spatial and ophthalmological issues rarely co-occurred in those without major disabilities.
Conclusions:
- Preterm infants exhibit a high prevalence of motor and visual-spatial neurodevelopmental problems by age five.
- Even preterm children without major disabilities frequently present with subtle motor and visual-spatial deficits.
- These findings underscore the importance of targeted developmental surveillance and support for preterm populations.
Abstract:
Sixty children born preterm (gestational age < or = 32 weeks) and 60 control children matched by sex, and socio-economic and educational status of the parents were followed prospectively to the age of five years. Neurodevelopmental problems were surveyed by a detailed neurological and neuropsychological test battery, and by ophthalmological and hearing examinations. All except one of the preterm children with major disability had motor, visual-spatial and visual problems. The most frequent neurodevelopmental abnormalities encountered among preterm children without major disability were motor problems--emerging as gross and fine motor and/or visual-motor difficulties--and visual-spatial problems. Language difficulties were not associated with hearing problems. Among those without major disability, visual-spatial difficulties and ophthalmological problems seldom emerged simultaneously.