[Epidemiology of neonatal brain damage]

Incidence of handicapped children due to neonatal brain damage has been discussed from a prospective study on NICU discharged infants and from population-based retrospective studies. Neonatal mortality in Japan has been decreased in recent years. Nevertheless the incidence of neurological sequelae has not improved. Almost half of the children with neurological sequelae are low birthweight infants, and in particular, the incidence of cerebral palsy is increased in extremely low birthweight infants. Not only the greater part of low birthweight infants but also the half of fullterm infants with neurological sequelae had been hospitalized in NICU at the neonatal period. And thus, the perinatal care will play an important role for the prevention of handicapped children.