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Birth weight and cognitive function in young adult life: historical cohort study
H T Sørensen1, S Sabroe, J Olsen
1Department of Internal Medicine V, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. HTS@soci.aau.dk
Objective:
To examine the relation between birth weight and cognitive function in young adult life.
Design:
Retrospective cohort study based on birth registry data and cognitive function measured during evaluation for military service.
Subjects:
4300 Danish conscripts born between 1973 and 1975.
Main Outcome Measures:
Mean score in the Boerge Prien test of cognitive function; score is the number of correct answers to 78 questions and correlates with full scale intelligence quotient (IQ).
Results:
Mean score in the Boerge Prien test increased from 39.9 at a birth weight of < or = 2500 g to 44.6 at a birth weight of 4200 g even after adjustment for gestational age and length at birth, maternal age and parity, and other variables. Above a birth weight of 4200 g the test score decreased slightly.
Conclusion:
Birth weight is associated with cognitive performance in young adult life. Interference with fetal growth may influence adult cognitive performance.