Neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants born to preeclamptic mothers – A case-control study

Objective: Preeclampsia during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk for various neonatal morbidities. We aimed to investigate the association between prematurity due to maternal preeclampsia and developmental outcomes. Study design: This retrospective matched case-control study included 39 preterm infants (<32 weeks gestation) born to preeclamptic mothers between 2012 and 2016, compared with 39 infants born to mothers without preeclampsia. The two groups were matched for gestational age (±1 week), gender and plurality. Neurodevelopmental outcome was assessed using the Griffith's Mental Developmental Scales at 6, 12 and 24 months corrected age. Results: The groups were comparable in terms of gestational age (30.2 weeks vs 29.8, P = 0.6), exposure to antenatal glucocorticosteroids and magnesium sulfate. The two groups differed significantly in birthweight so that cases had significantly lower birthweight, 1100 (IQR 844.5-1316.5) vs. 1370 (IQR 1174-1604.5) grams. 19/39 (48.7%) cases were small for gestational age compared with only 4/39 (10.3%) controls (P < 0.01). 16/39 of cases were born less than 1000 g, compared with only 5/39 controls (41% vs 12.8%, P < 0.01). Early complications were similar. Compared with controls, an overall trend for better neurodevelopmental performance on Griffith's score was found for cases, especially for early (6 months) non-motor performance. All severely disabled infants (Griffith's score < 55) at 24 months assessment were among controls. Conclusion: Although significantly smaller and smaller for gestational age, neurodevelopmental assessment by Griffiths' Mental Development Scales was similar for cases and controls with a trend towards better performance of cases at 6 months. Further studies are needed to determine whether the trend for better performance implies a developmental advantage.