Relationship between physical growth during NICU admission and neurodevelopment at 3 years of age in extremely low birth weight infants

Abstract

 Physical growth during NICU admission in preterm infants has been associated with poor long-term developmental prognosis. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between physical growth during NICU admission and development at 3 years of age. We studied 48 extremely low-birth-weight infants admitted to our NICU, and compared the presence or absence of extrauterine growth restriction（EUGR）with the weight, height, head circumference, and body size at birth SDS. We examined the relationship between the average daily increase in body size and Bayley Scales of Infant Development 3rd Edition（BSID-III）cognitive, language, and motor development scores at the age of 3 years. Motor development scores for weight and head circumference were significantly lower in the presence of EUGR. Additionally, average weight gain during NICU admission and cognitive and motor development scores were positively correlated. Aggressive nutritional management of extremely low-birth-weight infants after birth for good physical growth during NICU admission may lead to good neurological development.