Former Very Preterm Infants Show an Unfavorable Cardiovascular Risk Profile at a Preschool Age.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Evidence points towards an unfavorable cardiovascular risk profile of former preterm infants in adolescence and adulthood. The aim of this study was to determine whether cardiovascular risk predictors are detectable in former very preterm infants at a preschool age. Five- to seven-year-old children born at <32 weeks' gestational age were included in the study. Same-aged children born at term served as controls. Basic data of study participants were collected by means of follow-up databases and standardized questionnaires. At study visit, anthropometric data, blood pressure readings and aortic intima-media thickness were assessed. Blood samples were obtained after an overnight fast. In comparison to children born at term, former preterm infants had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] per 1-SD higher blood pressure level 3.2 [2.0-5.0], p<0.001 and 1.6 [1.1-1.2], p = 0.008), fasting glucose levels (OR [95% CI] 5.2 [2.7-10.1], p<0.001), homeostasis model assessment index (OR [95% CI] 1.6 [1.0-2.6], p = 0.036), and cholesterol levels (OR [95% CI] 2.1 [1.3-3.4], p = 0.002). Systolic prehypertension (23.7% vs. 2.2%; OR [95% CI] 13.8 [3.1-60.9], p = 0.001), elevated glucose levels (28.6% vs. 5.9%; OR [95% CI] 6.4 [1.4-28.8], p = 0.016), and hypercholesterolemia (77.4% vs. 52.9%; OR [95% CI] 3.0 [1.3-7.1], p = 0.010) were significantly more prevalent in the preterm group. As former very preterm infants display an unfavorable cardiovascular risk profile already at a preschool age, implementation of routine cardiovascular follow-up programs might be warranted.

Poor postdischarge head growth is related to a 10% lower intelligence quotient in very preterm infants at the chronological age of five years.

AIM: This study examined the relationship between head growth and cognitive outcome at the age of five years in preterm infants born at less than 32 weeks of gestation from 2003 to 2009, as previous research has mostly focused on outcomes in toddlers. METHODS: The head circumference of 273 very preterm infants born in Tyrol, Austria, was measured at birth, discharge, the corrected ages of three, 12 and 24 months and the chronological age of five years. Suboptimal head size was defined as a head circumference of more than one standard deviation below the mean. Full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ) at five years was determined using Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence, third edition. RESULTS: Infants with a suboptimal head size at the age of three months had a significantly lower median IQ than those with a normal head size (90 [20-122] versus 98 [20-138], p = 0.001) and from three months onwards they were more likely to exhibit cognitive delay. CONCLUSION: A suboptimal head size from the age of three months was consistently related to a 10% lower IQ, and this study adds further evidence that head growth failure, especially during the early postdischarge period, is related to impaired cognitive abilities.

Very preterm children are at increased risk of reduced processing speed at 5 years of age, predicted by typical complications of prematurity and prenatal smoking.

AIM: Very little is known about risk predictors for the development of reduced processing speed, which can cause intellectual problems in later life. This study identified risk predictors at 5 years of age in a population-based cohort of very preterm infants. METHODS: Between January 2003 and August 2006, all preterm infants born before 32 weeks of gestation in Tyrol were prospectively enrolled (n = 223), and 161 underwent a detailed examination at 5 years of age, including a cognitive assessment using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, third edition. The processing speed quotient is calculated on the basis of two subtests that assess symbol search and coding. The association between prenatal and postnatal factors and reduced processing speed was analysed by means of logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 161 children tested, 55 (34.2%) showed reduced processing speed. In 55.6% (n = 30) of these children, reduced processing speed was related to full-scale intelligence quotient scores of <85. Smoking in pregnancy, steroids for chronic lung disease and intracerebral haemorrhage predicted reduced processing speed at 5 years of age. CONCLUSION: More than a third of the very preterm children we tested showed reduced processing speed at 5 years of age, and predictors were typical complications of prematurity and smoking in pregnancy.