Adult Functional Outcome of Those Born Small for Gestational Age

Abstract

The long-term effects of fetal growth retardation on intellectual and educational outcome remain controversial. Those born small for gestational age (SGA) may demonstrate developmental delays in childhood,^1-4 although other studies have not substantiated these findings.^5-9 Even when cognitive impairments have been identified, these deficits are typically quite small. Unfortunately, because of study design and difficulty in long-term tracking of patients, the vast majority of outcome studies follow up children who were SGA to mid-childhood. In adolescence, Westwood and colleagues⁵ found no significant differences in IQ between those children who were SGA and those who were normal birth weight (NBW); however, only 33 (28%) of the original 118 children were located. Similarly, Stein et al,¹⁰ Douglas and Gear,¹¹ and Nilsen et al¹² also found no cognitive deficits among those aged 18 to 19 years who were SGA; however, relatively few adolescents were studied and follow-up rates were low. In contrast, Paz et al¹³ reported that boys who were SGA had lower levels of educational attainment and adolescent girls who were SGA had lower IQ scores than those who were NBW.