Abstract
Aim: In a prospective follow-up study of high-risk newborn infants, to assess if asphyxia causes impairment in cognitive functions at the age of 7 years.
Study subjects: Randomly selected control infants and testable (cerebral palsy [CP] excluded) survivors from 3 high-risk groups: 1) term infants wilh acute birth asphyxia (5-min Apgar ≤6 or umbilical arterial pH ≤ 7.05), 2)preterm infants with antenatal distress born to preeclamptic mothers (mean ± SD: 31.8 ± 2.6 gestational weeks [gw], birth weight 1460 ± 570 g), and 3) very low birth weight infants (VLBWI) delivered after uncomplicated pregnancy (29.1 ± 1.7 gw, 1160 ± 220 g).
Methods: blindly assessed IQ with WISC-r and neuropsychological performance with NEPSY (attention and confrontation naming tests) and VMI (copying design test).
Conclusion: Survivors without CP after severe birth asphyxia perform as well as controls, whereas children born preterm with or without prenatal hypoxia have lower IQ and a slight impairment in cognitive functions.
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Ruth, V., Liikanen, A. & Korkman, M. COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS AT 7 YEARS OP AGE AFTER PERINATAL ASPHYXIA. Pediatr Res 35, 262 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199402000-00047
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199402000-00047