Jama Pediatrics: premature babies or low birth weight are related to adult IQ
Although extremely premature babies are relatively small, accounting for 5.2 % of all premature infants around the world. According to data, these immature babies have risks of various complications, including bronchial lung dysplasia, cerebral hemorrhage, necrotic small intestinal colonitis, sepsis and retinopathy, etc., and are related to long -term adverse results. Extraordinary babies are related to the heavy burden of health care systems around the world.
Infants with less than 28 weeks of pregnancy are defined as extremely premature babies (VPT), and birth weight is less than 1.5 kg. Studies have shown that VPT/VLBW has a low cognitive ability in childhood. However, research on VPT/VLBW in adulthood is related to intellectual development.
Recently, a study published in Jama Pediatrics magazines showed that VPT/VLBW is related to low IQ after adults.
In this study, the researchers retrieved the relevant data released by Pubmed and the data from the research of European Children and Adult Premature Parents (RECAP) and adult premature infant international cooperation research (APIC) data from the 2 projects. The collected studies include the research of forward -looking vertical queue. These studies evaluate the IQ of adults born in VPT / VLBW (N = 1068), and the control group (N = 1067), which is born by adults born in full moon.
The results showed that the average IQ score of the general population was 100. Compared with adults born at full moon (37-41 weeks), VPT/VLBW individual IQ score is about 88. Even if there are nerve sensory disorders or learning impairment, the IQ between VPT/VLBW and adults born in full moon is still 9.8 IQ points. Among the VPT/VLBW participants, the lower lung problems of neonatal, neonatal cerebral hemorrhage, and low education of mothers are significantly related to the lower IQ scores with lower adulthood.
Researchers said, “Although most VPT/VLBW’s cognitive development is within the normal range, most of them may benefit from newborn care intervention measures that are developed in the early days, including reducing bronchial and lung development, cerebral hemorrhage, etc.”
Primitive source
Robert Eves et al, Association of Very Preterm Birth Low Birth Weight with Intelligence in Adulthood, Jama Pediatrics (2021). Doi: 10.1001/JamapeDiatrics.2021.1581.15815881.1581.1581581.1581581.1581581.1581581581.1581.1581.158
