Similarities and Differences in the Neurodevelopmental Outcome of Children with Congenital Heart Disease and Children Born Very Preterm at School Entry.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the similarities and differences in the neurodevelopmental outcome of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery compared with children born very preterm (VPT) at school entry. STUDY DESIGN: IQ, motor abilities, behavior, and therapy use were assessed in 155 children with CHD as part of a prospective, single-center, longitudinal study, and in 251 children born VPT as part of a national follow-up register at the same center. Group differences were tested using independent t-tests and χ2-tests. Equivalence testing was used to investigate similarities between the groups. RESULTS: Mild (ie, 70 ≤ IQ < 85) and severe intellectual impairments (ie, IQ < 70) occurred in 17.4% and 4.5% of children with CHD compared with 22.1% and 5.5% in children VPT, respectively. Motor and behavioral functions were impaired in 57.0% and 15.3% of children with CHD compared with 37.8% and 11.5% of children born VPT, respectively. Children with CHD had poorer global motor abilities (d = -0.26) and poorer dynamic balance (d = -0.62) than children born VPT, and children born VPT had poorer fine motor abilities than children with CHD (d = 0.34; all P < .023). Peer problems were statistically similar between the groups (P = .020). Therapies were less frequent in children with CHD compared with children born VPT (23.4% vs 40.3%; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Children with CHD undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery and children born VPT share an overall risk for neurodevelopmental impairments that manifest in different domains. Despite this, children with CHD receive fewer therapies, indicating a lack of awareness of the neurodevelopmental burden these children face.

Behavioral problems in very preterm children at five years of age using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: A multicenter cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Children born very preterm (VPT) are at increased risk of emotional and behavioral problems later in life. We aimed to determine the prevalence and spectrum of behavioral abnormalities at five years of age in VPT children. METHODS: Multi-center cohort study on 339 early-school aged children born at a gestational age below 32 weeks, between 2008 and 2011 and followed through the SwissNeoNet. Behavior was assessed with the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire and compared to published German norms. Analysis of perinatal, neonatal, socio-economic and neurodevelopmental risk factors was performed using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: 30.7% of 1105 VPT surviving children were assessed at mean age 67.3 months (SD 5.9). Compared to the reference population, VPT children had significantly higher scores for emotional symptoms (odds ratio 1.53, 95% confidence interval 1.11.-2.12), while the total difficulties score was similar (1.16, 0.85-1.58). Lower socioeconomic status was the only independent predictor of at-risk behavior (borderline and abnormal behavior). CONCLUSION: The spectrum of behavioral abnormalities in a current Swiss cohort of VPT children differs from the previously published data as hyperactivity was not a prominent symptom. Instead, emotional problems were reported to occur more frequently, with an increased prevalence for those coming from a lower socioeconomic background.