Young adult outcomes following premature birth: A Western Australian experience.

BACKGROUND: Childhood outcomes following preterm birth are widely published, however long-term adult outcomes are less well described. We aimed to determine the quality of life and burden of co-morbidities experienced by preterm-born young adults in Western Australia. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted. Participants born at 23-33 weeks gestation cared for at King Edward Memorial Hospital during 1990 and 1991 were recruited from a historical birth cohort. Participants completed general, medical and reproductive health questionnaires. Results were compared with contemporaneous cohort data and/or population statistics. RESULTS: Questionnaires were received from 73 young adults aged 28 to 30 years. The majority of respondents completed high school (94.5 %), were employed fulltime (74.0 %) and had close friends and family relationships. Almost all the participants considered their health to be good (94.0 %) and participated in light exercise (90.0 %). Increased hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, asthma, neuropsychiatric conditions and visual impairment were reported. Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) scoring identified increased mild anxiety. Increased consultation with healthcare workers and use of prescription medications were reported. CONCLUSION: The group of preterm-born adults surveyed reported a good quality of life, supportive interpersonal relationships and they provided significant contributions to society. They did report increased medical and psychological conditions than the general population.

Growth of a cohort of very low birth weight infants in Johannesburg, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the growth of VLBW infants in South Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the growth of a cohort of VLBW infants in Johannesburg. METHODS: A secondary analysis of a prospective cohort was conducted on 139 VLBW infants (birth weight ≤ 1500 g) admitted to Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. Growth measurements were obtained from patient files and compared with the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards (WHO-CGS) and with a previous cohort of South African VLBW infants. The sample size per analysis ranged from 11 to 81 infants. RESULTS: Comparison with the WHO-CGS showed initial poor growth followed by gradual catch up growth with mean Z scores of 0.0 at 20 months postmenstrual age for weight, -0.8 at 20 months postmenstrual age for length and 0.0 at 3 months postmenstrual age for head circumference. Growth was comparable with that of a previous cohort of South African VLBW infants in all parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Initial poor growth in the study sample was followed by gradual catch up growth but with persistent deficits in length for age at 20 months postmenstrual age relative to healthy term infants.