Outcome at 4 to 5 years of age in children recovered from neonatal chronic lung disease

Outcomes were compared for 31 very-low-birthweight children recovered from chronic lung disease and 31 very-low-birthweight controls. All children had been free of major abnormalities on neonatal cranial ultrasonography. At 4 to 5 years of age, children were examined by a pediatrician and tested by a psychologist who administered the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised. Despite similar medical outcomes, the children who had had neonatal chronic lung disease had lower Full-scale IQs (median 83 vs 87) and Performance IQs (79 vs 90). Median Verbal IQ was similar in the two groups (85 vs 87). A higher proportion of children who had had chronic lung disease had Full-scale IQ < 70 (8/31 [26%] vs 1/31 [3%]) and Performance IQ < 70 (8/31 [26%] vs 0/31). These effects persisted after adjustment for confounding factors.