Survival and neurodevelopmental outcome of ELBW children at 5 years of age: comparison of two cohorts born 10 years apart.

• Published in: Acta Paediatrica
• Main Authors: Jonsdottir, Gudrun Maria, Georgsdottir, Ingibjorg, Haraldsson, Asgeir, Hardardottir, Hildur, Thorkelsson, Thordur, Dagbjartsson, Atli
• Other Authors: Faculty of Medicine, The University of Iceland, Saemundargata, Reykjavik, Iceland.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley-Blackwell 2013
• Subjects: Blindness; Cerebral Palsy; Child Mortality; Child; Preschool; Cohort Studies; Developmental Disabilities; Female; Humans; Iceland; Incidence; Infant Mortality; Infant; Extremely Low Birth Weight; Newborn; Premature; Diseases; Intellectual Disability; Male; Prognosis; Registries; Retrospective Studies; Severity of Illness Index; Survival Rate
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/299934; https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2012.02645.x

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field. To examine survival and outcome of extremely low-birth-weight (ELBW) children (birth weight < 1000 g) in two 5-year periods, 10 years apart. In a retrospective population-based study, information on all ELBW children born in Iceland in 1991-1995 and in 2001-2005 was obtained from the National Birth Registry, hospital charts and medical records. The two periods were compared. In 1991-1995, 102 of 22.261 newborn children (0.5%) were extremely low birth weight compared with 70 of 20.923 newborns (0.33%) in 2001-2005 (p = 0.04). At 5 years of age, 52% (35/67) of live-born children born in 1991-1995 were alive compared with 63% (31/49) of children born in 2001 - 2005 (p = 0.2). Six ELBW children (17%) born 1991-1995 were diagnosed with disabilities at 5 years of age, three with major neurodevelopmental disabilities compared with six (19%) born 2001-2005, thereof one with severe neurodevelopmental disabilities (p = 0.57). The incidence of childhood disabilities in ELBW children in Iceland remains stable despite an increase in survival rate. The severity of neurodevelopmental disabilities has decreased.