New York, Aug 13 : Among children born at term (37-41 weeks), those born before 39 weeks are more likely to experience symptoms associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), says a new study.The study, which was published in the Journal of Pediatrics, is considered to be one of the few studies to examine the connections with gestational age at the time of the time of birth (37-41 weeks) and the diagnosis or signs of ADHD.
“The findings are a part of the evidence in support of current recommendations to delay elective births until minimum 39 weeks.They also suggest periodic screenings for ADHD symptoms are crucial for babies born at 37 to 38 weeks.” researcher Nancy Reichman from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in the US.
The study team examined data on around 1,400 kids in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study that is which is a US birth cohort study which randomly collected birth data in 75 hospitals in 20 major US cities between 1998 and 2000 and interviewed mothers again for nine years.
At the time of the follow-up after nine years The consent was granted to reach the teachers of the children, who were asked to assess their students
Overall, the team discovered that children born early (37-38 weeks) had significantly higher scores on teacher ratings scales than full-term kids (39-41 weeks) for hyperactivity, ADHD and cognitive problems or inattention, but gestational age was not significantly related with oppositional behavior.
Particularly, the researchers found that every week of gestational age before the term was associated with less than 6 percent hyperactivity scores as well as 5 percent less ADHD and cognitive or inattention scores.
They also found that the birth of 37 to 38 weeks connected with 23 percent higher scores on hyperactivity and 17 percent higher ADHD scores when as compared with birth between 39 and 41 weeks.
Preterm infants are more at risk of ADHD due to the fact of their brains’ development being too young, she said.
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