Risk of developmental delay increases exponentially as gestational age of preterm infants decreases: a cohort study at age 4 years

• Published in: Developmental medicine and child neurology 2012-12, Vol.54 (12), p.1096-1101
• Main Authors: KERSTJENS, JORIEN M, DE WINTER, ANDREA F, BOCCA-TJEERTES, INGER F, BOS, AREND F, REIJNEVELD, SIJMEN A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Brain; Child, Preschool; Cohort Studies; Developmental Delays; Developmental Disabilities - epidemiology; Developmental Disabilities - etiology; Female; Gestational Age; Humans; Incidence; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature, Diseases - epidemiology; Injuries; Male; Measures (Individuals); Netherlands - epidemiology; Neurological Impairments; Perinatal Influences; Predictor Variables; Pregnancy; Premature Infants; Prevalence; Questionnaires; Risk; Scores; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Children
• ISSN: 0012-1622; 1469-8749
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2012.04423.x

Aim  The aim of the study was to assess the influence of decreasing gestational age on the risk of developmental delay in various domains at age 4 years among children born at a wide range of gestational ages. Method  In a community‐based cohort, the parents of 1439 preterm‐born children (24 0/7 to 35 6/7wks) and 544 term‐born children (38 0/7 to 41 6/7wks’) born in 2002 and 2003 completed the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) when their child was 3 years 7 months to 4 years 1 month old. The prevalence rates of abnormal scores on the ASQ‐total problems scale were compared in preterm and term‐born children and the resulting odds ratios for gestational age groups were calculated and adjusted for social and biological covariates. Results  The prevalence rates of abnormal scores on the ASQ‐total problems scale increased with decreasing gestational age: from 4.2% among term‐born children to 37.5% among children born at 24–25 weeks’ gestation (p