Poor growth leads to developmental problems in moderately preterm children

Children who are born 4 to 8 weeks preterm often grow less well and therefore have an increased risk of developmental problems. This conclusion was drawn from PhD research carried out by Baukje Dotinga at Neonatology and Health Sciences at the UMCG. ʻ There was already a known link between growth and development in children who are born more than eight weeks -preterm, the very preterm children ʼ , according to Dotinga. ʻ This study shows that this link between growth and development also exists in moderately preterm children. ʼ The results of Dotinga’s study will be published today in the American journal Pediatrics.

In the Netherlands, approximately 8% of children are born preterm, of whom 7% moderately preterm. For a long time it was thought that all would turn out all right with the development of these moderately preterm children. However, over the past few years it has become clear that a proportion of these children have developmental problems. Dotinga’s study demonstrates that these developmental problems are linked to poorer growth.

IQ, attention and motor skills

ʻ Children who were born moderately preterm scored lower with regard to intelligence, attention and motor skills than children who were born full term ʼ , according to Dotinga. ʻ We discovered that this delay is related to growth. Children between the ages of 1 and 4 years who had a lower weight scored less well with regard to intelligence. However, too much weight gain between the ages of 4 and 7 led, conversely, to poorer scores with regard to motor skills, attention and IQ. Too little gain in head circumference during the first year of life was linked to problems with regard to attention and motor skills. ʼ

Nutrition

The fact that preterm children show poorer growth is probably linked to nutrition. Dotinga: ʻ The study’s message to preventive child health care organisations and paediatricians is therefore to be alert for poor growth. Does the child get enough nutrients? What can be improved? In a follow-up study, I want to study the link between nutrition, early growth and early development in early preterm children aged 0 to 3 months. ʼ

LOLLIPOP study

Dotinga’s study is part of the LOLLIPOP study. This study, carried out in a large number of preventive child health care organisations in the Netherlands, is aimed at tracking growth, development and health in moderately preterm children in particular. The developmental problems of moderately preterm children were compared with those of full-term children in an earlier study. The moderately preterm children as a group were seen to develop just slightly less well than full-term children.

Source: press release UMCG