The association between delivery of small‐for‐ gestational‐age neonate and their risk for long‐ term neurological morbidity

Small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) is defined as a birth weight below the 10th or below the 5th percentile for a specific gestational age and sex. Previous studies have demonstrated an association between SGA neonates and long‐term pediatric morbidity. In this research, we aim to evaluate the possible association between small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) and long‐term pediatric neurological morbidity. A population‐based retrospective cohort analysis was performed, comparing the risk of long‐term neurological morbidities in SGA and non‐SGA newborns delivered between the years 1991 to 2014 at a single regional medical center. The neurological morbidities included hospitalizations as recorded in hospital records. Neurological hospitalization rate was significantly higher in the SGA group (3.7% vs. 3.1%, OR = 1.2, 95% CI 1.1–1.3, p < 0.001). A significant association was noted between neonates born SGA and developmental disorders (0.2% vs. 0.1%, OR = 2.5, 95% CI 1.7–3.8, p < 0.001). The Kaplan‐Meier survival curve demonstrated a significantly higher cumulative incidence of neurological morbidity in the SGA group (log‐rank p < 0.001). In the Cox proportional hazards model, which controlled for various Confounders, SGA was found to be an independent risk factor for long‐term neurological morbidity (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.18, 95% CI 1.07–1.31, p < 0. 001). In conclusion, we found that SGA newborns are at an increased risk for long‐term pediatric neurological morbidity.