title: Developmental outcome at 6.5 years after acidosis in term newborns: a population-based study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Infants who develop encephalopathy after perinatal asphyxia have an increased risk of death and adverse neurologic outcome. Conflicting results exist concerning outcome in healthy infants with metabolic acidosis at birth. The aim of the current study was to evaluate whether metabolic acidosis at birth in term infants who appear healthy is associated with long-term developmental abnormalities.
  
  
  METHODS
  From a population-based cohort (14,687 deliveries), 78 infants were prospectively identified as having metabolic acidosis (umbilical artery pH < 7.05 and base deficit in the extracellular fluid >12.0 mmol/L). Two matched controls per case were selected. The child health and school health care records were scrutinized for developmental abnormalities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Outcome measures at 6.5 years of age for 227 of 234 children (97%) were obtained. No differences were found concerning neurologic or behavioral problems in need of referral action or neurodevelopmental diagnosis in comparison of control children with acidotic children who had appeared healthy at birth, ie, had not required special neonatal care or had no signs of encephalopathy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Infants born with cord metabolic acidosis and who appear well do not have an increased risk for neurologic or behavioral problems in need of referral actions or special teaching approaches at the age of 6.5 years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Clinical Science, The Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital, Sahlgrenska universitetssjukhuset, S-416 85 Göteborg, Sweden. maria.hafstrom@vgregion.se
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hafström
authors.forename: Siv
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ehnberg
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blad
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Norén
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Renman
authors.forename: Karl Gustaf
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Rosén
authors.forename: Ingemar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kjellmer
mesh_terms: D000138:Acidosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome