Original Article

Journal of Perinatology (2005) 25, 108–113. doi:10.1038/sj.jp.7211219 Published online 11 November 2004

Maternal Infection and Risk of Cerebral Palsy in Term and Preterm Infants

Michael D Neufeld MD, MPH1, Chantal Frigon MD, MS2, Alan S Graham MD3 and Beth A Mueller DrPH, MPH4

  1. 1Department of Pediatrics (M.D.N.), Division of Neonatology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
  2. 2Department of Anesthesiology (C.F.), Montreal Children's Hospital, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  3. 3Department of Critical Care Medicine (A.S.G.), The Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
  4. 4Department of Epidemiology (B.A.M.), Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

Correspondence: Michael D. Neufeld, MD, MPH, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific St., Box 356320, RR546 HSB, Seattle, WA 98195-6320, USA

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

 

We tested the hypothesis that term and preterm infants exposed to maternal infection at the time of delivery are at increased risk of developing cerebral palsy (CP).

STUDY DESIGN:

 

A population-based case–control study was conducted using Washington State birth certificate data linked to hospital discharge data. Cases (688) were children less than or equal to6 years old, singleton births, hospitalized during 1987 to 1999 with an ICD-9 diagnosis code for CP. Controls were 3068 singleton birth infants randomly selected from birth records for the same years without CP-related hospitalizations. Infection information was available only for the birth hospitalization.

RESULTS:

 

Infants of women who had any infection during their hospitalization for delivery were at increased risk of CP (odds ratio (OR) 3.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.3 to 4.2). This was observed for term deliveries (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.8) and preterm deliveries (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.3 to 4.2).

CONCLUSIONS:

 

Our results suggest that maternal infection is a risk factor for CP in both term and preterm infants.

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