Neurodevelopmental outcomes in early childhood for infants born very preterm in countries outside the UK

Knowledge of outcomes beyond the primary hospitalisation for infants born very preterm is vital to understanding the impact of interventions in the perinatal and newborn periods, particularly as more infants born <24 weeks’ gestation are being offered active care. van Blankenstein et al1 report the outcomes at 2 years of age of children born <30 weeks in England and Wales between 2008 and 2018. In their study, 0.4% were blind, 1% had a substantial hearing impairment, and delays in language (13%) development (9%) and motor performance (8%) were frequent, based on responses from parent-completed questionnaires. The study raises the question of how their long-term outcome data compare with what is known for recent whole populations of births <30 weeks’ gestation outside of England and Wales. Many countries outside the UK collect data on developmental outcomes into early childhood (2–3 years of age) that might be compared with...
Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition - Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Tags: Editorials Source Type: research