Kristie McNealy, MD

There has been a lot of discussion among preemie communities online about the diagnosis of learning problems and other disabilities in previously “normal” preemies once they start school. While parents were once (and sometimes still) told that their preemies would “catch up by age two,” ongoing research into the longterm consequences of prematurity have increasingly shown that this isn’t necessarily the case. Now, a new study published online in the journal Brain has shown increasing problems found on neuropsychiatric testing in teenage preemies.

The research looked at former preemies born at less than 33 weeks gestation, and compared them to their term peers. Teens received MRIs and neuropsychiatric evaluations* twice, at around 15 and 18 years-of-age. The study results showed that the preemies experienced a 3.11% decrease in cerebellar volume in the roughly 3 years between MRIs, while the term controls showed no change in the size of their cerebellum. While seemingly small, this decrease in the size was correlated with a decrease in:

• concentration
• feeling useful
• feeling confident
• decision-making capability.

There was also an increase in “feeling worthless” according to responses on the General Health Questionnaire.

Although studies like these never cease to give me another thing to worry about when it comes to our 31 weeker, as long as debates continue on about standards of neonatal care, the limits of viability and the utilization of healthcare resources, I think it is critically important to closely follow all of our survivors.  I’d be very interested to see repeated studies examining this issue, along with further follow-up on the kids in this study.  There is just so much more we need to know before we can even approach rational decision making in these fields.

*Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Controlled Oral Word Association Test and the General Health Questionnaire-12

Similar Posts:

• Longterm Lung Problems in Healthy Preemies
• MRI Abnormalities and Abnormal Movement in Infant Preemies
• Physical and Mental Disability in Preemies at Age 5
• Improving Preemie Lung Outcomes and Good News in Preeclampsia