Neuropsychomotor development in children born preterm at 6 and 12 months of corrected gestational age

OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence of neuropsychomotor developmental delay at 6 and 12 months of corrected gestational age in children born at 32 gestational weeks or less. METHODS: A descriptive and prospective study was carried out at two public maternity hospitals. Between April 2017 and January 2019, we assessed 133 children without any known risk factors for neuropsychomotor developmental delay. The Bayley III scale was used to evaluate cognitive and motor development. The p value of the numerical variables was calculated using the Mann-Whitney test, whereas proportions of categorical variables were compared using the Z-test. RESULTS: The mean maternal age was 26±6.9 years,78.8% were from middle and lower economic classes, and 57.1% of the analyzed children were female. Children presented with a higher incidence of delay at 12 months than at 6 months (10.3 and 2.3% at 12 and 6 months, respectively, for the cognitive score; 22.7 and 12% at 12 and 6 months, respectively, for the composite motor score; and 24.7 and 8.4% at 12 and 6 months, respectively, for the fine motor score). CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive and motor developmental delays were significant, with the highest incidence at 12 months. The results of this study encourage further research on this topic, since the exclusion criteria were comprehensive and the delays in neuropsychomotor development were significant.