Patterns of physical and neurologic development in preterm children.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the influence of medical complications, gestational age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status on the changes in anthropometric measures and severity of neurologic impairment from 6 to 54 months of age in premature and term infants.


METHODS
This study was a prospective longitudinal study to determine predictors of patterns of growth and neurologic outcome in low-risk (n=137) and high-risk (n=96) preterm infants compared to full-term infants (n=136). Growth modeling analyses were used to evaluate factors that might influence patterns of physical growth and changes in neurologic status.


RESULTS
Medical risk level was a predictor of height and head circumference at 30 months and neurologic outcome. Gender was a predictor of weight gain. Medical risk level and gender predicted 13.8% and 32% of the variance in head circumference and neurologic scores, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Medical complications after birth and gender are stronger influences than gestational age on patterns of growth and neurologic outcome.
Morris
Brenda H
BH
University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Smith
Karen E
KE
Swank
Paul R
PR
Denson
Susan E
SE
Landry
Susan H
SH
D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012923:Social Class