Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of the participants in the three study groups
| Preterm VLBW (N = 61) | p | Term SGA (N = 68) | p | Control (N = 88) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maternal smoking at conception, n (%) | – | – | 34/58 (59) | .029 | 34/85 (40) |
| Maternal age at birth, years (n = 60/58/85) mean (SD) | 28.4 (5.1) | .009 | 28.6 (3.9) | .007 | 30.6 (4.4) |
| Maternal glucocorticoid before birth, n (%) | 29/59 (49) | – | – | – | – |
| Birth characteristics, mean (SD) | |||||
| Birthweight, g | 1203 (247) | – | 2938 (193) | – | 3702 (451) |
| Gestational age, weeks | 28.9 (2.7) | – | 39.6 (1.2) | – | 39.8 (1.2) |
| Head circumference, cm (n = 49/57/85) | 27.0 (2.5) | – | 33.8 (1.1) | – | 35.4 (1.1) |
| Male sex, n (%) | 33/61 (54) | .420 | 33/68 (49) | .420 | 38/88 (43) |
| Twins, n (%) a | 9/61 (15) | – | 0 (0) | – | 0 (0) |
| Perinatal factors, mean (SD) | |||||
| Apgar at 5 min (n = 59/57/83) | 8.3 (1.8) | <.001 | 9.9 (0.3) | .564 | 9.8 (1.0) |
| Days in NICU (n = 58/−/−) b | 67.6 (32.0) | – | – | – | – |
| Days with respiratory support (n = 60/−/−) c | 5.7 (12.1) | – | – | – | – |
| IVH, n (%) d | 9/59 (15) | – | – | – | – |
| Motor function, mean (SD) | |||||
| BSID Psychomotor Developmental Index at 1 year (n = 22/48/75) | 99.1 (18.4) | .141 | 104.4 (13.5) | .141 | 107.8 (11.8) |
| PDMS Eye/hand coordination at 5 years (n = 23/56/71) | 79.4 (5.8) | .734 | 78.5 (5.1) | .033 | 80.9 (3.3) |
| PDMS Balance at 5 years (n = 23/57/71) | 57.3 (4.5) | .286 | 58.3 (4.8) | .286 | 59.0 (4.4) |
| PDMS Locomotion at 5 years (n = 23/56/71) | 100.7 (10.9) | .264 | 104.1 (8.6) | .264 | 105.9 (5.4) |
| Movement ABC total score, at 14 years (n = 41/48/68) | 11.6 (8.4) | <.001 | 6.8 (5.3) | .770 | 6.0 (4.1) |
| CP, n (%) | 3/61 (5) | – | 0 (0) | – | 0 (0) |
| Cognitive function, mean IQ (SD) | |||||
| WPSSI 5 years (n = 21/52/75) | 94.9 (16.6) | <.001 | 100 (12.7) | .001 | 108.0 (12.7) |
| WISC 14 years (n = 44/49/69) e | 81.0 (21.6) | <.001 | 92.0 (15.8) | .171 | 96.2 (16.7) |
| WAIS 19 years (n = 46/46/68) | 88.4 (11.9) | <.001 | 95.7 (9.2) | .004 | 101.7 (12.3) |
| IQ < 85, WAIS 19 years, n (%) | 16/46 (35) | <.001 | 6/46 (13) | .347 | 5/68 (7) |
| Parental SES, mean (SD) (n = 50/55/74) f | 3.5 (1.2) | .372 | 3.7 (1.2) | .372 | 3.8 (1.1) |
| Age at participation, years, mean (SD) | 26.4 (0.7) | .084 | 26.5 (0.6) | .952 | 26.5 (0.5) |
P-values vs. controls
Abbreviations: VLBW Very Low Birth Weight, SGA Small for Gestational Age, NICU Newborn Intensive Care Unit, IVH intraventricular hemorrhage, BSID Bayley Scales of Infant Development, PDMS Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, CP Cerebral Palsy, WPPSI Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, WISC Wechsler intelligence scale for children, WAIS Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, SES Socioeconomic Status
a From 8 pairs
b Information on days in NICU or pediatric ward: n = 58 VLBW, max.: 160 days
c Information on days with respiratory support (Ventilator or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure): n = 60 (No respiratory support: n = 22 (37%); One day respiratory support n = 15 (25%) max: 63 days; among those with respiratory support ≥1 day: n = 23 (38%), mean (SD): 9,0 days (14.2))
d IVH Grading: No IVH: 50 (85%), grade 1: n = 4; grade 2: n = 2, grade 3: n = 1; grade 4: n = 2
e WISC estimated from 4 subtests
f Parental SES collected at 14 years for: n = 47 VLBW, 53 SGA, 72 control and supplemented at 19 years for n = 3 VLBW, 2 SGA, 2 control