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Quality of life of adults born very preterm or very low birth weight: A systematic review
Author(s) -
Pal Sylvia,
Steinhof Malte,
Grevinga Ma,
Wolke Dieter,
Verrips Gijsbert Erik
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.15249
Subject(s) - medicine , psycinfo , low birth weight , pediatrics , birth weight , quality of life (healthcare) , health related quality of life , gestation , medline , pregnancy , nursing , disease , biology , political science , law , genetics
Aim To establish differences in health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults born term and those born very preterm (VPT) and/or with a very low birth weight (VLBW). Methods Our systematic review is preregistered under PROSPERO‐ID CRD42018084005. Studies were eligible for inclusion if their authors had stated the HRQoL of adults (18 years or older) born VPT (<32 weeks of gestation) or VLBW (<1500 g of birth weight) had been measured, if written in English, and if they reported a comparison with a control group or valid norms. We searched Pubmed, Scopus, Psycinfo, Web of Science, Embase and contacted experts in this field. Non‐response and other bias‐related problems were evaluated. Results We included 18 studies of 15 unique cohorts from 11 countries. In 11 studies, no differences in HRQoL between VPT or VLBW and term‐born adults were found; four studies found lower HRQoL in VPT/VLB adults; and evidence from three studies was inconclusive. Disability, sex and age were associated with HRQoL. Conclusion There is no conclusive evidence that HRQoL differs between term‐born adults and those born VPT or with a VLBW. The comparability of studies was restricted by differences between HRQoL measurements, age ranges at assessment and definition of disability.