Risk factors for cerebral palsy in premature infants identified during the pre and perinatal periods: a case-control study.

Background: The aim of this paper was to assess the pre and perinatal risk factors for cerebral palsy in premature infants, comparing them with full-term infants.

Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional cohort study on 48 infants between four and eight months of life, of whom 20 were born prematurely (<37 weeks of gestational age) and 28 at full term (37 to 42 weeks). A questionnaire was used, which investigated maternal reproductive, obstetric and neonatal factors, along with an evaluation scale for neurosensory-motor development of infants at risk of neuromotor alterations. For the statistical analysis, the Student's t, chi-square, Fisher's exact and Cramer's V tests were used.

Results: All the newborns that were small for their gestational age (35%) were in the premature group (P=0.001). Hyperbilirubinemia (P=0.000), anemia (P=0.009), respiratory distress syndrome (P=0.000) and periventricular hemorrhage (P=0.025) were more frequent in the premature newborn group. Phototherapy and blood transfusion were more frequent among the premature infants: 70.0% vs. 25.0% (P=0.002) and 20.0% vs. 0.0% (P=0.025), respectively. Among the premature infants, 50.0% presented neuromotor development alterations, against only 14.3% of the full-term infants.

Conclusions: Prematurity is an important risk factor for the development of neurosensory-motor alterations that are suggestive of cerebral palsy.