Neurodevelopmental outcomes of premature infants at a tertiary care center in Pakistan

Abstract

The low gestational ages and morbidities of premature neonates in neonatal intensive care units exert a significant impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes. This longitudinal cohort study assessed the neurodevelopmental status of premature neonates after discharge from neonatal intensive care units in resource-limited countries such as Pakistan. Developmental assessment involved the Denver Development Screening Test II. One hundred and ten infants discharged from our neonatal intensive care unit completed follow-up at age 6 months. Overall developmental delay was evident in 32% of infants. Birth weight and gestational age exerted significant impacts on development. The mean gestational age of developmentally normal infants was 34 weeks, whereas that of delayed infants was 30.7 weeks (P < 0.01). The mean birth weight of developmentally normal infants was 2.17 kg vs 1.27 kg in delayed infants (P < 0.01). Neonates who developed complications such as respiratory distress syndrome, intraventricular hemorrhage, thrombocytopenia, hypoglycemia, hyponatremia, or hypothermia in neonatal intensive care units proved to be delayed at age 6 months (P < 0.05). Prematurity and its associated complications are linked to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.