Motor Developmental Status of Moderately Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants

Objective: Motor development is frequently reported to be impaired in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, but little is known about the moderately low birth weight (MLBW) infants. The aim of this study was to investigate whether MLBW preterm infants present developmental delay. Methods: In a historical cohort study, 18 +/- 2 month-old infants with a history of low birth weight (LBW) were identified. All infants with complications of LBW with negative effects on development were excluded. Healthy infants with normal birth weight (2500-4000 g) were included as controls. All infants were evaluated by the Peabody Developmental Motor Scale II (PDMS-2) test and final scores compared between the two groups. Finding: 88 infants including 58 MLBW and 30 NBW with a mean birth weight of 1900 +/- 382.4 g and 3150 +/- 473.5 g respectively, were studied. In the MLBW group, gross and fine motor skill scores were below average in 6 (6.8%) and 10 (17%) infants, respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups according to gross motor quotient (102.5 +/- 5.5 in NBW vs 100.1 +/- 7.2 in MLBW; P=0.1), but MLBW infants achieved significantly lower scores in fine motor (93.3 +/- 5.4 vs 99.6 +/- 5.0; P=0.001) and total motor quotient (97.0 +/- 5.9 vs 101.53 +/- 5.0; P=0.001). Conclusion: The finding of this study show developmental defects in fine motor skills in MLBW infants. Accurate monitoring of the developmental status of this population should be emphasized for an earlier recognition and intervention.