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Perinatal infection is an important risk factor for cerebral palsy in very‐low‐birthweight infants
Author(s) -
Wheater Mary,
Rennie Janet M
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
developmental medicine and child neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.658
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1469-8749
pISSN - 0012-1622
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2000.tb00113.x
Subject(s) - cerebral palsy , medicine , diplegia , pediatrics , risk factor , population , periventricular leukomalacia , gestational age , pregnancy , physical therapy , biology , environmental health , genetics
Sixty‐nine very‐low‐birthweight infants out of a population of 923 had cerebral palsy (CP) at an 18‐month follow‐up. Thirty‐nine of these had cranial ultrasound abnormalities in the neonatal period and 30 had normal cranial ultrasounds. The distribution of subtypes of CP differed markedly between the two groups, with hemiplegia predominating in those with abnormal cranial ultrasounds and diplegia in those with normal cranial ultrasounds. Regardless of ultrasound appearance, the relative risk of CP increased approximately fourfold with a neonatal history of sepsis.