The findings on growth and development were worrying, since 18 % of the patients had not reached the 3rd percentile for weight at 2 years’ corrected age.
Morbidity at 2 years in infants with a birth weight of < 1,500 g
 
  Key words
 
 
  
   Very low birth weight
  
 
 
  
   Cerebral palsy
  
 
 
  
   Neonatal followup
  
 
 
  
   Neurosensory disability
  
 
Objectives
To determine morbidity at 2 years’ corrected age in a cohort of neonates with a birth weight of less than 1,500 g born in 1999-2000 in a tertiary hospital in the Autonomous Community of Madrid.
Patients and methods
An observational longitudinal follow-up study was performed in a cohort of 213 infants with a birth weight of < 1,500 g. Of these, 188 (87 %) completed the 2-year follow- up.
Various types of <dis>neurosensorial disability</dis> were studied, paying special attention to the main impairments: <dis>vision, hearing and motor impairment</dis>, and low development quotient.
Results
Among the patients initially included in the study, 87% completed the follow- up; 17.1 % had one or more major sequela.
We found one case (0.4 %) of <dis>bilateral neurosensorial deafness</dis> and one case of <dis>bilateral blindness</dis>.
At the age of 2 years, 5.8 % (11/188) had <dis>cerebral palsy</dis>, 14.9% had a development quotient below 85 and 18 % had not reached the 3rd percentile for weight.
Factors of poor neurological prognosis were subnormal head size at the age of 2 years and white matter disease (including persistent intraparenchymal periventricular echodensity and ventriculomegaly or irregular shape) as ultrasound findings.
Conclusions
Less than a fifth of the very low birth weight infants presented severe sequelae at 2 years of follow-up.
Factors of poor neurological prognosis were subnormal head size at 2 years and the presence of white matter disease on ultrasonography.
The findings on growth and development were worrying, since 18 % of the patients had not reached the 3rd percentile for weight at 2 years’ corrected age.
Objectives
To determine morbidity at 2 years’ corrected age in a cohort of neonates with a birth weight of less than 1,500 g born in 1999-2000 in a tertiary hospital in the Autonomous Community of Madrid.
Patients and methods
An observational longitudinal follow-up study was performed in a cohort of 213 infants with a birth weight of < 1,500 g. Of these, 188 (87 %) completed the 2-year follow- up.
Various types of neurosensorial disability were studied, paying special attention to the main impairments: vision, hearing and motor impairment, and low development quotient.
Results
Among the patients initially included in the study, 87% completed the follow- up; 17.1 % had one or more major sequela.
We found one case (0.4 %) of bilateral neurosensorial deafness and one case of bilateral blindness.
At the age of 2 years, 5.8 % (11/188) had cerebral palsy, 14.9% had a development quotient below 85 and 18 % had not reached the 3rd percentile for weight.
Factors of poor neurological prognosis were subnormal head size at the age of 2 years and white matter disease (including persistent intraparenchymal periventricular echodensity and ventriculomegaly or irregular shape) as ultrasound findings.
Conclusions
Less than a fifth of the very low birth weight infants presented severe sequelae at 2 years of follow-up.
Factors of poor neurological prognosis were subnormal head size at 2 years and the presence of white matter disease on ultrasonography.
The findings on growth and development were worrying, since 18 % of the patients had not reached the 3rd percentile for weight at 2 years’ corrected age.
The findings on growth and development were worrying, since 18 % of the patients had not reached the 3rd percentile for weight at 2 years’ corrected age.