Taylor G.L. et al conducted a study to assess the relationship between 2- and 10-year neurodevelopment utilizing a well-known 2-year definition and a 10-year definition developed by an expert panel.

They utilized the data from the Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborn Study cohort and classified 2-year neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) using definitions developed by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network and classified 10-year NDI using definitions developed by an expert panel, which added epilepsy and ASD at 10 years.

They found that-

Children with moderate to severe NDI at 2 years-

• 63% showed none to mild NDI at 10 years

Children with profound NDI at 2 years-

• 36% showed none to mild NDI at 10 years.

Thus they concluded that NDI in infancy only weakly predicts NDI in middle childhood.

It brings a ray of hope for the parents at risk for delivery of an extremely preterm infant, that one-third of surviving children classified as having profound NDI and nearly two-thirds of those classified as having moderate to severe NDI at 2 years show none to mild NDI at 10 years.

Source: Born Extremely Preterm, Pediatrics, 2021; 147 (5) e2020001040; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-001040