Background: The rate of preterm births in Romania is one of the highest among European countries. However, there is little information regarding the ways in which premature birth affects the outcome in Romanian preterm infants.
Aims: To investigate the effects of early developmental intervention after discharge from the hospital on motor and cognitive development in preterm infants.
Study design: Longitudinal observational study.
Methods: We performed the Amiel-Tison neurologic evaluation at discharge and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development from 3 to 24 months. Based on these evaluations, an outcome score was formulated.
Results: Between 2007 and 2010, 1157 of 2793 premature infants were included into the study. There was a negative correlation between the number of evaluations and the risk of developing neurologic sequelae (p<0.001). The correlation analysis demonstrated a significant association between the final category of risk at the end of the follow up program and the degree of compliance (p<0.01). At 24 months evaluation, there was a correlation between the low gestational age and the risk of developing severe neurologic sequelae (p<0.001).
Conclusion: This study shows the importance of follow up program in decreasing the risk of developing neurologic sequelae in preterm infants.
Keywords: Neurologic sequelae; infants; monitoring; prematurity.