title: Sepsis as a risk factor for neonatal morbidity in extremely preterm infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluated sepsis as a risk factor for neonatal morbidities and investigated the association between specific pathogens and neonatal morbidities.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a nationwide Swedish prospective cohort study, consisting of the 497 extremely premature children, who were born before 27 weeks of gestation between 2004 and 2007 and survived their first year of life. Neonatal sepsis was evaluated as a risk factor for neonatal morbidity using multiple logistic linear regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that 326 (66%) of the infants had at least one sepsis episode and coagulase-negative staphylococci was the most common pathogen. Definite sepsis, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.6, was associated with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia, but not clinical sepsis (OR 1.1). Definite sepsis was also associated with a prolonged hospital stay (OR 1.6). Sepsis was not significantly associated with a higher risk of retinopathy of prematurity or intraventricular haemorrhage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Extremely preterm infants face a great risk of acquiring neonatal sepsis, with coagulase-negative staphylococci being the most common pathogen in this population. Definite sepsis seemed to be a risk factor for severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia and prolonged hospital stay, but the associations were weaker than in previous studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ohlin
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Björkman
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Section for Pediatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.|Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Fredrik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Serenius
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schollin
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Sciences, Centre of Reproduction Epidemiology, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Källén
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D062071:Infant, Extremely Premature; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D018805:Sepsis / Q000150:complications*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000150:complications
keywords: Morbidity; Neonatal; Prematurity; Risk factor; Sepsis