A comparison of neurological assessment scores from two cohorts of low-birthweight children evaluated at age four years: Dublin and Copenhagen.

We compared the neurological condition and functions at age 4 years for two cohorts of children initially treated in the neonatal intensive care units in two countries: Denmark (10) and Ireland (2). The comparisons were made in two ways: first, the more usual comparison between frequencies of cerebral palsy, mental retardation, hydrocephalus, visual and hearing loss. A second comparison was based on the items, subscales, and total scores on a neurological battery developed from the Danish data. Comparisons were made among three different birthweight groups within each country as well as between countries using analysis of variance (ANOVA). In both cohorts, significant differences were shown between two subgroups: those with birthweights less than 2300 gms and those with birthweights over 2500 gms for all subscales except the neurological ones in the Irish cohort. In the Danish cohort, significant differences were shown on all subscales among three birthweight groups: less than 1501 gms; 1501-2300 gms; and over 2500 gms. Significant differences were shown between countries for easy drawing, neurology "b", and fine motor testing.