Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Part 1 THE EXTREMELY PRETERM INFANT: EPIDEMIOLOGY, PERCEPTIONS, AND PRACTICES
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Historical Aspects
- 3 Survival
- 4 Influence of Obstetric Management
- 5 Effect of Resuscitation in the Delivery Room
- 6 National Comparisons
- 7 Prediction of Outcome
- 8 Limit of Viability
- 9 Morbidity
- 10 School Age Outcome
- 11 Adolescence
- 12 Perceptions and Practices
- 13 Resource Expenditure
- Part 2 BIOETHICS
- Part 3 REPORTS, OFFICIAL OPINIONS, AND GUIDELINES
- Part 4 THE LAW
- Part 5 EPILOGUE: TRUTH, TRUST, AND BOUNDARIES
- References
- Index
11 - Adolescence
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Part 1 THE EXTREMELY PRETERM INFANT: EPIDEMIOLOGY, PERCEPTIONS, AND PRACTICES
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Historical Aspects
- 3 Survival
- 4 Influence of Obstetric Management
- 5 Effect of Resuscitation in the Delivery Room
- 6 National Comparisons
- 7 Prediction of Outcome
- 8 Limit of Viability
- 9 Morbidity
- 10 School Age Outcome
- 11 Adolescence
- 12 Perceptions and Practices
- 13 Resource Expenditure
- Part 2 BIOETHICS
- Part 3 REPORTS, OFFICIAL OPINIONS, AND GUIDELINES
- Part 4 THE LAW
- Part 5 EPILOGUE: TRUTH, TRUST, AND BOUNDARIES
- References
- Index
Summary
There have been a number of studies documenting adolescent outcomes. Most of these adolescents do not have major motor, sensory, or intellectual handicap, but as a group, they do not fare as well in school as their normal birth weight peers. However, they do not view their quality of life as different.(116) A 14-year follow-up study of ELBW infants born during 1970–1980 was reported from Melbourne (117) and compared to a normal birth weight control group. Survival rate was 25%, and of the survivors 10% have cerebral palsy, 6% are blind, 5% are deaf and required hearing aids, and 46% have an IQ score more than 1 standard deviation below the mean compared to controls. Overall, 14% are severely disabled. In a Canadian population of ELBW infants followed into adolescence,(118) 28% had neurosensory impairments compared to 1% of term controls. Reading scores were significantly low in 38% of those born less than 750gs and 18% of those born weighing 750 to 1,000g compared to 2.5% of terms controls. Special educational services were required at some time in 50% of the study group and 10% of the controls. The ELBW cohort tended to be smaller and use health and educational resources far more than controls.(119) Similar findings have been reported from Britain(120) and the United States.(121, 122) However, although adolescents who were born extremely preterm are more likely to have to cope with more health and educational challenges, studies on quality of life seem to demonstrate that most of this group do not feel that their quality of life is very different from others.
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- Chapter
- Information
- Extreme PrematurityPractices, Bioethics and the Law, pp. 32 - 33Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006