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Nerological status of the newborn in relation to prenatal and perinatal factors

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Abstract

Assessment of 180 high risk newborns revealed significant impairment of the neurological status compared to the control group; the degree of impairment was related to the number and severity of the adverse factors. In addition to the perinatal factors, prenatal factors were also related to the low neurological score. In the high risk group, the chief neurologic pathology evidenced as poor muscle tone in the term infants and poor vigilance in the preterm infants. The neurological score showed better correlation to the arterial pH and base status as compared to the oxygen content. The adverse effect of hypoxia was more persistent in the term infants than in the preterm infants. The bilirubin level of 8 to 15 mg/dl did not significantly influence the neurological status of the newborns. Some high risk infants with normal Apgar score had significantly low neurological score even on the fourth day after birth, compared to the control group.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada

    T. V. Deshpande & P. G. R. Harding

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada

    T. V. Deshpande & P. G. R. Harding

Authors
  1. T. V. Deshpande
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  2. P. G. R. Harding
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Deshpande, T.V., Harding, P.G.R. Nerological status of the newborn in relation to prenatal and perinatal factors. Indian J Pediatr 49, 105–118 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02914963

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