The contribution of fetal-newborn complications to motor and cognitive deficits.
A total of 364 selected high-risk premature and mature infants were studied prospectively to assess the relationship between fetal-newborn complications and motor and cognitive deficits identified during the first year of life. Deficits occurred in 24 per cent of the children: 14 per cent had one or more major deficit and the other 10 per cent had one or more minor deficit. Prematurity was one of the fetal-newborn complications not associated with deficits at one year. Complications that were associated with deficits included fetal hypoxia, respiratory difficulties, infection and newborn encephalopathy. There was also a significant association between fetal hypoxia, newborn respiratory complications, infection and newborn encephalopathy, which is in keeping with the concept that the first three may be mechanisms in CNS injury and subsequent deficits, while newborn encephalopathy reflects the injury and is an important predictor of such deficits.
D000375:Aging; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications; D002657:Child Development; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D007234:Infant, Premature; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012044:Regression Analysis