In-hospital growth and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of very low birth weight infants

Abstract

Background and ObjectivesVery low birth weight infants (VLBW) are at risk for adverse growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the association between growth during Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) stay and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in a cohort of preterm VLBW newborns.MethodsWe conducted a longitudinal observational study in the Follow-up Service of our Clinic from January 2014 to April 2017. All preterm VLBW infants born at our hospital and enrolled in our follow-up program were considered eligible for the study. The neurodevelopmental assessment was performed using the Griffiths Mental Development Scales at 12 and 24 months corrected age.ResultsStudy population included 172 subjects (47.1% males) with a mean gestational age of 29 weeks and a mean birth weight of 1,117 g. A unitarian Δz-score increase in head circumference from birth to discharge was associated with a 1.6-point increase in General Quotient at 24 months corrected age. An association with subscales C and D was also found. Likewise, an increase in length Δz-score was associated with better 24-month subscale C scores although not reaching statistical significance. No relationship with the outcome at 24 months was found for weight gain.ConclusionsGrowth during NICU stay appears to be related to a more favorable neurodevelopmental outcome at 24 months corrected age, especially in the hearing and language domain (subscale C). The longitudinal evaluation of auxological parameters during hospitalization can contribute to the identification of subjects at risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in the first years of life.

Growth of Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants (ELBW) born at a Tertiary Hospital: Statural catch-up growth continues during the 3rd year of life

“…(6)(7)(8)(9) Additionally, investigations have revealed the relationship between postnatal growth and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in ELBW infants, emphasizing the lasting consequences of growth challenges. (10)(11)(12)(13)(14) Variable degrees of catch-up were reported by different authors at different times postnatally. For instance, Raaijmakers et al conducted a comprehensive study that examined the postnatal growth patterns of ELBW infants for 11 years and identified that Catch-up growth (i.e., ΔZ-score >0.67 SDS) for weight was achieved during the first two years of life in only 9.9% of cases, for length in 13.7% of cases and for head circumference in 14.1% of cases.…”