Neurodevelopmental Outcome of Preterm Low Birth Weight Infants at 9 Months of Age

Abstract

Introduction: The survival of preterm babies has increased worldwide, but the risk of neurodevelopmental disabilities remains high, which is of concern to both the public and professionals. The early identification of children at risk and the outcome of neurodevelopmental disabilities may increase access to intervention, potentially influencing. Objective/Aim: To determine the neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants at 9 months of age. Methodology: Preterm babies <37weeks, weight < 2500 of gestational age (GA) who were admitted in NICU, BSMMU were prospectively included in the study. The prenatal, perinatal and postnatal features of the babies were recorded. Bayley Scales of Infants and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III), was applied at 9 month of age. This prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Neonatology, BSMMU, after approval by Institutional Review Board, over twelve month period. All Preterm low birth weight neonates satisfying the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. All patients are managed as per standard clinical guidelines of NICU, BSMMU. We included total 39 infants. The hospital outcomes were recorded as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Data were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 25. P value < 0.05 is considered as statistically significant. Results: All data of 39 babies were obtained during the study, mean birth weight was 1542.82 ± 444.93g, and mean gestational age was 33.00 ± 2.01 weeks. According to Bayley III scores, 23.1% cognitive delay, 7.7% language delay, and 43.6% motor delay were detected. A Positive correlation was found between BW and cognition composite scores (p= 0.001). A negative correlation was found between hospital stay and cognition composite scores (p = 0.002). Conclusion: The neurodevelopmental domain cognition, motor and language scores at 9 months of age are found lower. A Positive correlation was found between birth weight and cognition composite scores. A Positive correlation was found between gestational age and language composite scores.