title: Patterns of physical and neurologic development in preterm children.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Brenda H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Karen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Swank
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Denson
authors.forename: Susan H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Landry
mesh_terms: 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