Sleep behaviour in preterm children from birth to age 10 years: a longitudinal study.

AIM: To study clinically relevant aspects of sleep behaviour in preterm children in comparison to term children. METHODS: Longitudinal sleep behaviour data were collected prospectively by structured interviews in 130 preterm and 75 control term children from birth to age 10 y. RESULTS: No significant differences in sleep duration (time in bed per 24 h), bedsharing, night wakings, bedtime resistance and sleep-onset difficulties were found between preterm and term children. CONCLUSION: Sleep behaviour does not differ between preterm and term children from birth to age 10 y, indicating that prematurity or neonatal intensive care experience does not significantly affect sleep in the first 10 y of life.

Postnatal growth in VLBW infants: significant association with neurodevelopmental outcome.

OBJECTIVE: To study the significance of growth status at birth and postnatal growth on neurodevelopmental outcome in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. STUDY DESIGN: Growth and neurodevelopment were examined in 219 VLBW (<1250 g) children, 94 small for gestational age (SGA) (<10th percentile) and 125 appropriate for gestational age (AGA) (>10th percentile). Outcome at age 2 was assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (Mental Developmental Index [MDI], Psychomotor Developmental Index [PDI]) and a standardized neurologic examination. RESULTS: SGA status was not associated with poor neurodevelopmental outcome. However, after adjustment for covariables including cerebral palsy (CP), SGA children with weight <10th percentile at age 2 had lower mean PDI than SGA children with catch-up growth to weight >10th percentile (mean [SD], 89.9 [17.4] versus 101.8 [14.5]; P<.001). AGA children with catch-down growth (weight <10th percentile at age 2) were, independent of CP, more likely to have lower mean MDI (94.9 vs 101.7, P=.05) and PDI (81.9 vs 95.1; P<.001) than AGA children remaining >10th percentile at age 2. They also more frequently had severe CP (22.9% vs 1.2%; P=.008). CONCLUSIONS: In VLBW children, the course of postnatal growth rather than the appropriateness of weight for gestational age at birth determines later neurodevelopmental outcome.