Study of factors associated with developmental delay in low birth weight infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit

Advances in medical science and success in increasing the survival rate of vulnerable infants has raised the future evolution issues of these children. Developmental and behavioral disorders are the most common problem in children after discharge from Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).An extensive range of factors involve in the occurrence of developmental disorders. According to the importance of the subject and lack of accurate information in the field of risk factors, related factors with the developmental disorders was investigated in this article, in low weight infants with history of care in NICU.
This Cohort study was performed on 76, 4-24 month-old infants with a history of hospitalization in NICU of Shiraz Hazrat Zeinab (SA) hospital with an average weight of (1800gr). The information on pregnancy, child birth and problems during hospitalization was registered. These 4-24 month-old infants were evaluated developmentally according to Age & stage questionnaire (ASQ). The data was analyzed by statistical tests.
In the conducted evaluation using ASQ, the correlation coefficient statistical test did not show any significant relationship between developmental disorder with mechanical ventilation, duration of hospitalization, surfactant and betamethasone injection, initial and final diagnosis of diseases (r 0.05).
Although improvement in respiratory therapy, monitoring system, non-invasive or minimal invasive procedures and developmental care were decrease neonatal mortality rate and prematurity complications, but we cannot find any relationship between NICU-related risk factors and neurologic outcome. For better outcome we must detect developmental delay as soon as possible and start early rehabilitation of low birth weight infants after discharge from NICU.