Department of Pediatrics, SCIAS-Hospital de Barcelona, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Barcelona (UBNeuro), 08035 Barcelona, Spain.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Dec 24;18(1):74. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18010074.
Late preterm children born between 34 and 36 weeks' gestation account for ≈70% of prematurely born infants. There is growing concern about this population at risk of mild neurodevelopmental problems, learning disabilities and lower academic performance. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement, this paper analyzes recent published evidence from 16selected studies involving late preterm children and control group assessments at preschool and/or school age, mainly focusing on cognitive functioning, language learning and academic achievement. The review identifies the assessment tools used in these studies (standardized tests, parental questionnaires and laboratory tasks) and the areas being evaluated from preschool (age 3 years) to primary school levels. Results reveal the presence of mild difficulties, pointing to suboptimal outcomes in areas such as executive function, short term verbal memory, literacy skills, attention and processing speed. Some difficulties are transient, but others persist, possibly compromising academic achievement, as suggested by the few studies reporting on higher risk for poor school performance. Given the increasing number of late preterm children in our society the review highlights the need to implement screening strategies to facilitate early risk detection and minimize the negative effects of this morbidity in childhood.
晚期早产儿是指胎龄在 34 至 36 周之间出生的婴儿，约占早产儿的 70%。这一人群存在轻度神经发育问题、学习障碍和学业成绩较低的风险，这引起了越来越多的关注。本研究按照系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）声明，分析了最近发表的 16 项研究的证据，这些研究涉及晚期早产儿和对照组在学龄前和/或学龄期的评估，主要集中在认知功能、语言学习和学业成绩上。综述确定了这些研究中使用的评估工具（标准化测试、家长问卷和实验室任务）以及从学龄前（3 岁）到小学水平评估的领域。结果显示存在轻度困难，表明在执行功能、短期言语记忆、读写技能、注意力和处理速度等方面存在不理想的结果。一些困难是短暂的，但另一些则持续存在，可能会影响学业成绩，这一点从少数报告学习成绩较差风险较高的研究中可以看出。鉴于社会中晚期早产儿的数量不断增加，本综述强调需要实施筛查策略，以促进早期风险检测，并尽量减少这种发病率对儿童的负面影响。
