Objectives: To study the effect of sex on the clinical outcome of extremely preterm infants (EPIs)/extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWIs) by propensity score matching.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed for the medical data of 731 EPIs or ELBWIs who were admitted from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2020. These infants were divided into two groups: male and female. A propensity score matching analysis was performed at a ratio of 1:1. The matching variables included gestational age, birth weight, percentage of withdrawal from active treatment, percentage of small-for-gestational-age infant, percentage of use of pulmonary surfactant, percentage of 1-minute Apgar score ≤3, percentage of mechanical ventilation, duration of mechanical ventilation, percentage of antenatal use of inadequate glucocorticoids, and percentage of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. The two groups were compared in the incidence rate of main complications during hospitalization and the rate of survival at discharge.
Results: Before matching, compared with the female group, the male group had significantly higher incidence rates of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), severe intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, necrotizing enterocolitis, and patent ductus arteriosus (P<0.05), while after matching, the male group only had a significantly higher incidence rate of BPD than the female group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the rate of survival at discharge between the two groups before and after matching (P>0.05).
Conclusions: Male EPIs/ELBWIs have a higher risk of BPD than female EPIs/ELBWIs, but male and female EPIs/ELBWIs tend to have similar outcomes.
目的: 通过倾向性评分匹配方法，探讨性别对超早产儿/超低出生体重儿（extremely preterm infant/extremely low birth weight infant，EPI/ELBWI）临床结局的影响。方法: 回顾性分析2011年1月1日至2020年12月31日住院的731例EPI或ELBWI的临床资料，将731例EPI/ELBWI分成男婴组与女婴组。通过倾向性评分匹配方法1∶1匹配，匹配变量包括：胎龄、出生体重、放弃积极治疗比例、小于胎龄儿比例、使用肺表面活性物质比例、1 min Apgar评分≤3分比例、机械通气比例、机械通气时间、产前使用疗程不足糖皮质激素比例和妊娠期高血压疾病比例，比较两组患儿住院期间主要并发症的发生率和出院存活率。结果: 匹配前，男婴组新生儿呼吸窘迫综合征、支气管肺发育不良、重度脑室内出血、脑室周围白质软化、坏死性小肠结肠炎、动脉导管未闭的发生率均显著高于女婴组（P<0.05）；匹配后，男婴组仅支气管肺发育不良的发生率显著高于女婴组（P<0.05）。匹配前后，两组患儿的出院存活率差异均无统计学意义（P>0.05）。结论: 男婴EPI/ELBWI并发支气管肺发育不良的风险高于女婴，但男婴和女婴EPI/ELBWI的转归相似。.
Keywords: Clinical outcome; Extremely low birth weight infant; Extremely preterm infant; Propensity score matching; Sex.