Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

Infants Born 1 to 3 Weeks Early at Risk of Developmental Delay NEW YORK -- March 30, 2009 -- Children born at 34 to 36 weeks' gestation have a higher risk of developmental delay or disability through the first 5 years of life compared with healthy term infants born at 37 to 41 weeks' gestation, according to a study published in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics. Until recently, infants born 1 to 3 weeks early have received little attention because of assumptions that they had little risk of long-term problems. However, this study suggests that those last weeks in the womb are associated with the child's future development and success in school. Steven Benjamin Morse, MD, Departments of Pediatrics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, and colleagues compared prekindergarten and kindergarten outcomes among healthy late preterm infants and healthy term infants born in Florida between January 1, 1996 and August 31, 1997. Risk for developmental delay or disability was 36% higher among late preterm infants compared with term infants. Risk for suspension in kindergarten was 19% higher for late preterm infants. Disability in prekindergarten at age 3 and 4 years, exceptional student education, and retention in kindergarten, all carried a 10% to 13% increased risk among late preterm infants. The authors suggest obstetricians should consider the risk for developmental delay when weighing the risks and benefits of late preterm delivery. These children need close developmental follow-up, and parents and physicians should be aware of the risks for school underachievement and behavioral problems so they can get prompt referrals to early intervention services if needed, they said. SOURCE: American Academy of Pediatrics E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version