Adolescents born prematurely with isolated grade 2 haemorrhage in the early 1990s face increased risks of learning challenges. (2nd August 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Vohr, Betty R.; Allan, Walter; Katz, Karol H.; Schneider, Karen; Tucker, Richard; Ment, Laura R.
• Is Part Of: Acta pædiatrica. Volume 103:Number 10(2014:Oct.)
• Page Start: 1066
• Page End: 1071
• Publication Date: 2014-08-02
• Subjects: Pediatrics -- Periodicals; Pediatrics; 618.92
• DOI: 10.1111/apa.12728
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0803-5253

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="apa12728-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <sec id="apa12728-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Aim</title> <p>To compare the impact of low‐grade haemorrhage on neurocognitive function in 16‐year‐old adolescents born preterm, by grade of intraventricular haemorrhage, and term controls.</p> </sec> <sec id="apa12728-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>We evaluated 338 preterm adolescents (birth weight 600–1250 g) for intelligence, executive function and memory tasks. Eleven had grade 3–4 haemorrhage, 44 had grade 2, 31 had grade 1, and 251 had no haemorrhage. Group comparisons were made with 102 term age‐matched controls, and regression models used to identify the risk that low‐grade haemorrhage posed for cognitive, executive function and memory deficits.</p> </sec> <sec id="apa12728-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>Preterm adolescents with grade 2 haemorrhage had higher deficit rates of verbal intelligence, receptive vocabulary, phonemic fluency, cognitive flexibility and phonological fluency than preterm adolescents with grade 1 or no haemorrhage, compared with term controls. After excluding preterm adolescents with both grade 2 haemorrhage and cystic periventricular leukomalacia, those with isolated grade 2 haemorrhage remained at greater risk of cognitive and executive function deficits than term controls and of cognitive deficits than preterm adolescents with no haemorrhage.</p> </sec> <sec id="apa12728-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusion</title> <p>Our findings suggest that preterm adolescents born in the early 1990s with isolated grade 2 haemorrhage are at increased risk of learning challenges, including cognitive and executive function deficits.</p> </sec> </abstract>