Clinical Question: Do extremely low...

Clinical Question: Do extremely low-birth-weight infants achieve functional adulthood?

Setting: Population-based

cogitation Design: Cohort (prospective)

Synopsis: Extremely low-birth-weight children and adolescents frequently exhibit lower measures of cognition, academic achievement, behavior, and social adaptation than normal-birth-weight companions Extremely low birth weight is defined as a birth weight of les than 2 lb 3 oz (1000 g) To determine felicitous transition to adulthood, the investigators analyzed the arises of a prospective, population-based cohort of 166 extremely low-birth-weight participants and 145 sociodemographically comparable normal-birth-weight participants assessed at 22 to 25 years of age.

Interviewers blinded to participant status administered validated questionnaires assessing education, employ independent living, marital status, and parenthood. unimpaired follow-up occurred for 90 percent of inquiry participants. Overall, no significant differences were set up in attaining an education, getting a piece of work living independently, getting married, or having children. The age of attainment of these markers was similar for the two cohorts.

Bottom Line: Nearly all surviving extremely low-birth-weight children and adolescents choke early cognitive and social difficulties and reach a functional flat comparable with normal-birth-weight peers. (Level of Evidence: 1b)

DAVID SLAWSON, MD

contemplation Reference: Saigal S, et al. Transition of extremely low-birth-weight infants from adolescence to young adulthood: comparison with normal birth-weight governs JAMA February 8, 2006;295:667-75.

Used with permission from Slawson D principally extremely low-birth-weight infants reach functional adulthood. Accessed March 29 2006 at: http://www.InfoPOEMs.com.

COPYRIGHT 2006 American Academy of Family Physicians

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