The communication between low birth weight premature infants and their mothers in the first year of life: A description of four cases

Summary Data on neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants born with esophageal atresia (EA) are still scarce and controversial. The aims of our study were to evaluate motor and cognitive development during the first year of life, in patients operated on of EA and to investigate potential risk factors for motor and cognitive development both at 6 and 12 months. This is an observational prospective longitudinal study in a selected cohort of type C and D EA infants enrolled in our follow-up program from 2009 to 2017. In order to exclude possible confounding factors, the following exclusion criteria were applied: (i) gestational age ≤ 32 weeks and/or birth weight ≤ 1500 g; (ii) genetic syndrome or chromosomal anomaly known to be associated with neurodevelopmental delay; (iii) neurologic disease; (iv) esophageal gap ≥three vertebral bodies. Patients were evaluated at 6 and 12 months of life (corrected age for infants with a gestational age of 32–37 weeks) with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development—3rd Edition. In our selected cohort of EA infants, 82 were evaluated at 6 months and 59 were reevaluated at 12 months. Both Motor and Cognitive average scores were within the norm at both time points. However, we report increased number of infants with motor delay with time: 14% at 6 months and 24% at 12 months. Multiple regression analysis for Motor scores at 6 [F(4,74) = 4.363, P = 0.003] and 12 months [F(6,50) = 2.634, P = 0.027] identified (i) low birth weight, (ii) longer hospital stay and (iii) weight < fifth percentile at 1 year as risk factors. Interestingly, average Cognitive scores also increased with time from 85.2% at 6 months and 96.6% at 12 months. Multiple regression models explaining variance of Cognitive scores at 6 [F(4, 73) = 2.458, P = 0.053] and 12 months [F(6, 49) = 1.232, P = 0.306] were nonsignificant. Our selected cohort of EA patients shows, on the average, Motor and Cognitive scores within the norm both at 6 and 12 months. Nevertheless, the percentage of infants with Motor scores below the average increases regardless gestational age. None of clinical and sociodemographic variables taken into consideration was able to predict cognitive development both at 6 and 12 months whereas risk factors for Motor development change during the first year of life. Healthcare providers should pay particular attention to patients with low birth weight, longer hospital stays and weight under fifth percentile at 1 year. Future studies should include long-term outcomes to reveal possible catch up in motor development and/or possible findings in Cognitive scores.

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Growth pattern of low birth weight babies in the first year of life

The Indian Journal of Pediatrics ◽

10.1007/bf02722649 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 69 (6) ◽

pp. 485-488 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

K. Sridhar ◽

B. V. Bhat ◽

S. Srinivasan

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Low Birth Weight ◽

Growth Pattern ◽

First Year ◽

Low Birth Weight Babies ◽

First Year Of Life

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P301 EARLY GROWTH RESTRICTION AMONG VERY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTS INCREASES CATCH-UP GROWTH THE FIRST YEAR OF LIFE

Clinical Nutrition Supplements ◽

10.1016/s1744-1161(09)70351-5 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 152

Author(s):

A.C. Westerberg ◽

C. Henriksen ◽

A. Ellingvåg ◽

M. Veierød ◽

P. Juliusson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Low Birth Weight ◽

Very Low Birth Weight ◽

Early Growth ◽

Growth Restriction ◽

First Year ◽

Low Birth Weight Infants ◽

Catch Up ◽

First Year Of Life

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Analysis of the health status of children of the first year of life

Modern pediatrics. Ukraine ◽

10.15574/sp.2020.109.24 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 24-32

Author(s):

R.V. Marushko ◽

◽

О.О. Dudina ◽

T.L. Marushko ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Rate ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Infant Mortality ◽

Low Birth Weight ◽

Negative Trend ◽

Child Health Service ◽

First Year ◽

Live Births ◽

The Past ◽

First Year Of Life

Ukraine entered the 21st century with one of the worst vital signs in Europe and the burden of many socio-economic and demographic problems. Adverse quantitative and especially qualitative indicators of population reproduction have become stable. Therefore, the most important medical and social task and one of the main activities of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine is the formation and maintenance of public health. The defining stage in the formation of human health is the first year of life. Purpose — to study the state and trends of changes in the main indicators of the health of children in the first year of life for the period 2000–2019. Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of the incidence of children in the first year of life, infant mortality, over the past 20 years in the context of individual pathological conditions is carried out. The information base of the study was the data of state and industry statistics for 2000–2019. Methods of a systematic approach, statistical data processing, epidemiological analysis of graphic images were used. Results. The study revealed that the unfavorable demographic situation in Ukraine is accompanied by an unsatisfactory state of the main predictors of a healthy start in the life of infants, the formation and maintenance of their health. Over the past two decades, there has been a high level with a negative trend of diseases of the reproductive system of women, a high frequency of the combination of pregnancy and extragenital diseases remains. There is a negative trend towards an increase in the generalized objective criterion of the health of the generation, which is born and the socio-economic well-being of the population — the frequency of premature, low birth weight, incl. With very low birth weight. Only thanks to the introduction of modern medical organizational technologies with proven efficiency in the activities of the maternal and child health service was it possible to achieve a decrease in the incidence of newborns from 280.8 per 1000 live births in 2000 up to 172.14 in 2019. At the same time, the increase in the incidence of newborns with diseases that have a direct impact on the development of chronic and disabling diseases at all stages of life is of concern — congenital pneumonia, neonatal sepsis, other disorders of the cerebral status of the newborn, neonatal jaundice. According to the assessment of the dynamics of the general morbidity of children in the first year of life, its level is still high, with a positive trend — 2018.8 per 1000 children who reached 1 year in 2000 and 1393.1 in 2019, the growth rate is -30.9% with a traditionally leading position in the level and structure of the incidence of respiratory diseases — 810.2 per 1000 children who have reached one year of life and 58.15%, certain conditions occurring in perinatal period — 126.7 ‰ and 9.06%, diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue — 63.9‰ and 4.59%, diseases of the blood and hematopoietic organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism — 63.0‰ and 4.52%. Conclusions. The positive dynamics of morbidity in children of the first year of life is confirmed by a decrease in infant mortality from its maximum level of 11.9 per 1000 live births in 2000 up to 7.0 in 2019, the growth rate is -41.2% due to all its components with a more intensive reduction in postneonatal mortality from 5.28‰ to 2.57‰, the growth rate is -51.3% against the background of an increase in the concentration of mortality in the neonatal period from 55.9% to 64.5%, respectively. No conflict of interest was declared by the authors. Key words: newborns, children of the first year of life, low birthweight newborns, morbidity, infant mortality.

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First-year growth of 834 preterm infants in a Chinese population: a single-center study

BMC Pediatrics ◽

10.1186/s12887-019-1752-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ying Deng ◽

Fan Yang ◽

Dezhi Mu

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Low Birth Weight ◽

Preterm Infants ◽

First Year ◽

Poor Growth ◽

Vlbw Infants ◽

Catch Up ◽

First Year Of Life ◽

Prevalence Of Anemia

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to follow the growth and hematological indicators of preterm infants during their first year. Methods Neonates below 37 gestational weeks had routine follow-ups up through 1 year from January 2012 to December 2015 at West China 2nd University Hospital, Sichuan University. Weight, length and head circumference (HC) were measured monthly during the first 6 months, followed by monitoring every second month until 12 months. The catch-up growth defined as a gain of Z-score > 0.67 according to previous study. All preterm infants were prescribed iron prophylaxis based on national guideline. The hemoglobin concentration was examined at 6 and 12 months. Results Altogether, 132 very-low-birth-weight (VLBW), 504 low-birth-weight (LBW) and 198 normal-birth-weight (NBW) infants were followed. The rates of catch-up growth for weight, length and HC 12 months of corrected age (CA) were 22.6, 29.1 and 14.6%, respectively. SGA and VLBW infants showed higher catch-up growth rates. The overall prevalence of anemia was 6.8% at 6 months and 7.8% at 12 months. The Z-scores for weight-for-length, length and HC were lower in the VLBW and SGA preterm infant groups than in the other preterm groups throughout the first year of life. The incidences of stunting, microcephaly and wasting changed from 5, 1.3 and 3.7% to 2, 1.1, 0.9 and 2.4%, respectively, during the first year. However, the incidences of wasting and stunting were higher for the VLBW infants than for the LBW and NBW infants at 12 months (9.3% vs. 1.4%, p < 0.01; 9.3% vs. 1%, p < 0.01,respectively; 4.7% vs. 0.8%, p < 0.01, 4.7% vs. 0%, p < 0.01,respectively). Similar results were observed between SGA and AGA infants (8.7% vs. 1.5%, p < 0.01; 5.8% vs. 0.4%, p < 0.01). Logistic regression revealed SGA and VLBW as risk factors for poor growth (WLZ < -2SD) at 12 months (OR = 5.5, 95% CI: 2.1–14.8, p < 0.01: OR = 4.8, 95% CI: 1.8–12.8, p < 0.01, respectively). Conclusion The VLBW and SGA preterm infants showed significant catch-up growth during their first year of life. However, SGA and VLBW were risk factors for poor growth during the preterm infants’ first year of life. Prophylactic iron supplementation in preterm infants appears to reduce the prevalence of anemia.

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