Are Infants Born After an Episode of Suspected Preterm Labor at Risk of ADHD? A 30-Month Follow-up Study.

Autores de IIS La Fe

• Pablo Navalón Rodríguez

  Autor

• Farah Ghosn Yassine

  Autor

• Belén Almansa Tomás

  Autor

• Alba Moreno Giménez

  Autor

• Laura Campos Berga

  Autor

• Vicente Jose Diago Almela

  Autor

• Máximo Vento Torres

  Autor

• 

  Ana Cristina García Blanco

  Autor

Participantes ajenos a IIS La Fe

• Ferrin, Maite
• Sahuquillo-Leal, Rosa

Grupos

• Investigación en Salud Mental

• Perinatología

Abstract

BACKGROUND: An episode of suspected preterm labor (SPL) may be by itself a pathological event that may alter the normal course of pregnancy and the offspring´s neurodevelopment. Certainly, the association between preterm birth and neurodevelopmental disorders can only be partially explained by the immaturity of the nervous system, as evidenced by the increased risk of ADHD in late-preterm infants without any neurological alteration. OBJECTIVE: This study examines if infants born after SPL may be at an increased risk of developing ADHD. Moreover, potential obstetric, perinatal, and psychosocial risk factors associated with ADHD in this population are examined. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective cohort study of 120 mother-infant pairs was conducted from the moment the mothers received a diagnosis of SPL until the infants' 30 months of life. Infants were divided according to the prematurity status: Full-term SPL-infants (n = 28, born at =37 weeks of gestation), late preterm SPL-infants (n = 56, born between 32 and <37 weeks of gestation), very preterm SPL-infants (n = 36, born before <32 weeks of gestation). Non-SPL infants born at term served as a control group (n = 46). Infants' ADHD symptoms were assessed at age 30-months. Obstetric, perinatal, and psychosocial risk factors were also recorded. RESULTS: All SPL groups showed more ADHD symptoms at age 30-months compared with non-SPL infants. Concretely, very preterm SPL-infants showed higher restless/impulsive behaviors, whereas full-term and late preterm SPL-infants showed higher emotional lability behaviors. Among potential risk factors, male sex and maternal experience of post-traumatic stress symptoms predicted the severity of ADHD symptoms in SPL-infants. CONCLUSIONS: SPL-infants had a higher risk for developing ADHD symptoms, including those born at term. SPL-infants showed a distinctive phenotype and shared specific risk factors, suggesting that they conform an undescribed at-risk of ADHD population.

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Keywords

• ADHD; neurodevelopmental disorders; pregnancy; preterm birth; preterm contractions; preterm labor; psychomotor development; risk factors; tocolysis; trauma