Premature babies are surviving even when born at smaller and smaller sizes. But not much is known about future health issues, if any, for them. A Canadian study that followed extremely low birth weight (ELBW) babies into adulthood has found that they may be less likely to have alcohol or drug abuse problems in adulthood, but they may be more likely to experience some psychiatric issues, such as anxiety, then. The odds for psychiatric issues are higher for those whose mothers took corticosteroid drugs before birth that helped save their lives then.
This group of extremely small babies is said to be the oldest to have been followed since birth.
ELBW babies are those born weighing a kilogram (about 2 pounds) or less. Studies have found they are at higher risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety issues, and social difficulties in childhood and adolescence. Researchers at McMaster University in Canada compared ELBW children to a group of normal birthweight control children. Of these 84 ELBW and 90 normal birthweight took part in psychiatric interviews. Twenty-four ELBW children were born to mothers who were given injections of corticosteroids.
The ELBW adults were about 2.3 times more likely to have a psychiatric disorder such as anxiety or depression than the normal birthweight adults, but were only about 40% as likely to have an alcohol or substance use disorder. ELBW adults whose mothers had received corticosteroids were about 4.4 times as likely to have a psychiatric disorder, but did not have a reduced risk of alcohol or substance abuse.
"Understanding the specific types of problems ELBW survivors are at risk for can help us better predict, detect, and treat mental disorders in this group," the researchers stated.
The study was published in the journal Pediatrics, and can be read at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2015/02/04/peds.2014-3143.full.pdf+html.