Prematurity-associated morbidity during the first two years of life. A population-based study.

Two-year patterns of postneonatal morbidity, both chronic and non-chronic, reported for all liveborn preterm infants (n = 612; malformations excluded) delivered in the province of Kuopio, Finland, between 1978 and 1982. The overall readmission rate was 30%, the commonest cause being respiratory infections, surgical disorders (inguinal hernias) and neurological problems. The higher readmission rate in preterms born at less than or equal to 33 weeks of gestation was due to a large proportion of children being admitted with chronic prematurity-associated conditions; preterms without chronic disabilities had similar rates of readmission irrespective of gestational age. Neonatal treatment variables were of little help in the identification of children requiring readmission after neonatal care. Instead, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) or being of the male sex significantly increased the risk of subsequent readmission.