Neurodevelopmental Evaluation of Infants of Preeclamptic Mothers at 36 Months Of Age

Abstract Preeclampsia is a disorder of pregnancy leading to preterm birth, maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity and may cause neurodevelopmental problems. We aimedto evaluate the neurodevelopment of infants of preeclamptic mothers at 36 months ofage, namely maj？r neurological sequeale, cognitive, language, fine and gross motor abnormalities and their prevalances. Infants of preeclamptic mothers delivering before 32 weeks of gestation were included into the study. Mothers who delivered before 32 weeks of gestation for another reason constituted the controlgroup. Parental educational status, prenatal and natal history, morbidities, physical development, laboratory results, neurological examinations and Bayley neurodevelopmental scores were compared. There were 36 infants in thestudy group and 28 infants in the control group. There wereno statistically significant differences between both groupregarding early morbidities and 36th month neurodevelopment. In the study group, leukocyte and absolute neutrophil counts and weight at discharge were significantly lower.Bayley developmental scores were higher in the girls andthere was a positive correlation between the 5th minute Apgar scores and Bayley scores. Bayley scores were also lower in infants whose neurological exams were abnormal. Weconcluded that preeclampsia does not pose an additional riskto preterm infants, apart from their own risks