Abstract
Knowledge of risk factors associated with child development disorders is essential for delivering high-quality childcare. The objective here was to evaluate the relationships between risk factors and occurrences of developmental abnormalities among children attended at a reference clinic for children at risk of developmental abnormalities. Retrospective study at a multidisciplinary reference center, Embu, São Paulo. All cases followed up for more than three months between 1995 and 2003 were reviewed. The risk factors assessed were low birth weight, gestational age, length of stay in neonatal ward, perinatal asphyxia, mothers age < 18 years, congenital infections, malformations and low mothers education level. Developmental abnormalities were defined according to developmental tests and assessments by the clinics professionals. The statistical analysis consisted of the chi-squared test for comparing categorical variables and a logistic regression model for multivariate analysis. 211 children were followed up for more than three months. Developmental abnormalities occurred in 111 (52.6%). Univariate analysis showed significant relationships between developmental abnormality and low birth weight, perinatal asphyxia, length of stay > 5 days, prematurity and mothers age 18 years and older. Low birth weight, history of perinatal asphyxia and mothers age continued to be significant in multivariate analysis. Special attention must be paid to the development of low birth weight infants and/or infants with histories of neonatal complications. Low birth weight is easily assessed and should be considered to be an important marker when defining guidelines for following up child development.
Highlights
Over recent years, changes in childhood morbidity-mortality patterns, decreased fertility of the population and, new findings regarding how the brain functions during the first years of life have led to increased interest in child development
Special attention must be paid to the development of low birth weight infants and/or infants with histories of neonatal complications
The prognosis for the development of preterm infants appears to be directly related to the presence of other conditions such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity and intracranial changes on ultrasound, which significantly worsen the prognosis of these infants.[8]
Summary
Changes in childhood morbidity-mortality patterns, decreased fertility of the population and, new findings regarding how the brain functions during the first years of life have led to increased interest in child development. There is still much concern regarding short, medium and longterm prognosis, for extremely premature infants (gestational age < 26 weeks), very low birth weight infants (birth weight < 1500 g) and extremely low birth weight infants (birth weight < 1000 g).[7] The prognosis for the development of preterm infants appears to be directly related to the presence of other conditions such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity and intracranial changes on ultrasound, which significantly worsen the prognosis of these infants.[8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
