Moderately Preterm Birth Tied to Long-Term Cognitive Problems

FRIDAY, April 25, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Moderately preterm birth is associated with cognitive problems at ages 9 to 10 years, according to a study published online April 14 in JAMA Network Open.

Samson Nivins, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues investigated the long-term cognitive outcomes of children born at various gestational ages: very preterm (28 to 31 weeks), moderately preterm (32 to 33 weeks), late preterm (34 to 36 weeks), and early term (37 to 38 weeks) versus full term (≥39 weeks) when accounting for genetics and other risk factors. The analysis included 5,946 children (ages 9 to 10 years).

The researchers found that compared with full-term children, those born moderately preterm had significantly lower composite cognitive scores (β = −0.39) and significantly lower scores in vocabulary (β = −0.36), working memory (β = −0.27), episodic memory (β = −0.32), and both short-delay recall (β = −0.36) and long-delay recall (β = −0.29). These associations were independent of socioeconomic status, polygenic scores for cognitive performance, and other risk factors. The lowest cognitive scores were seen among children born at ≤32 weeks, while late-preterm and early-term children performed similarly to full-term peers.

“These findings underscore the need for continued follow-up of all preterm children, with particular focus on those born before 34 weeks’ gestational age, because they may face greater developmental challenges over time,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text