Abstract
We report a longitudinal study of children who had neonatal hyperviscosity (HV). The original cohort consisted of 111 HV infants prospectively identified at birth and matched with 110 control infants who had low peripheral hematocrits. Criteria for matching included birthweight, gestational age and Apgar scores. Neonatal, intrapartum and two-year evaluations were coded. HV subjects were more frequently meconium stained, (p<0.005) and had more neonatal hypoglycemia (p<0.005) than did controls. Four children died prior to follow-up. At two years of age HV children had more neurologic diagnoses (p<0.005) and motor delays (p<0.005). School age assessments for the same groups were made at a mean of 7 years. Evaluations included Slosson IQ, Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) for Arithmetic, Reading and Spelling, a scored neurologic examination (PANESS), Beery Visual Motor Test, reflex testing and timed fine motor skills. Forty-seven HV and 39 controls have been evaluated to date. There were no significant differences between the two groups in IQ, Beery, PANESS or WRAT scores. Two children had abnormal reflexes. Beery tests revealed more than a 6 month delay in 18 control (46%) and 29 HV subjects (53%), NS. When 2 and 7-year outcomes were compared only 2 of the 20 subjects who had abnormalities on the earlier follow-up now had no delays. More than one delay was present in 15 of 22 children with abnormal outcome at 2. Ten of 36 who were normal at 2 now had more than one low score (p<0.01). Outcome at school age was best correlated with maternal IQ scores.
CONCLUSIONS: 1. Neurologic handicaps and motor delays at two are associated with lower achievement scores at seven. 2. The children with HV examined in this study did not differ from weight-matched control infants from a similar medically-indigent population.
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Black, V., Camp, B., Swanson, C. et al. NEONATAL POLYCYTHEMIA: SCHOOL-AGE PERFORMANCE. Pediatr Res 19, 1129 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198510000-00322
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198510000-00322