The long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants born full-term with low birth weight

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the neurological developments of preschool or school-aged children together with their school successes, intelligence quotient and symptom severity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who were born at the 37th gestational week and above with birth weights below tenth percentile, which is called small for gestational age (SGA). A total of 74 patients with SGA and 75 healthy children were evaluated. The patients were evaluated by child neurologist and child psychiatrist. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, Ankara Developmental Screening Inventory, and The Turgay DSM-IV-Based Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavioral Disorders Screening and Rating Scale (T-DSM-IV-S) were applied according to their age groups. SGA cases had been breastfed for shorter durations (p: 0.004), had walked later (p<0.001), talked later (p<0.001), and had encountered more vision disorders (p: 0.009) than the control group. SGA cases were determined to encounter febrile convulsions more frequently (p: 0.007). SGA cases were determined to exhibit lower school success (p<0.001), were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder more frequently (p<0.001), and their mental developments were delayed (p<0.001). In cases with SGA, inattention (p: 0.004) and conduct disorder (p: 0.029) subscales and the total scale scores (p: 0.022) of T-DSM-IV-S were significantly lower when compared to the control group. We consider that being SGA may have a negative impact on child’s behavior, attention and academic achievement in long-term.