Association of hyperglycemia in extremely preterm infants with neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 months of corrected age

Abstract

To investigate the impact of hyperglycemia on the neurodevelopmental outcomes in extremely preterm infants. This single-center retrospective cohort study enrolled extremely preterm infants born at <28 weeks of gestation. Hyperglycemia was defined as a blood glucose level of >15 mmol/L. The Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development at 18 months of corrected age was used for neurodevelopmental assessment, and a developmental quotient (DQ) of ≥85 was defined as normal. Among the 102 surviving extremely preterm infants, 54 (53%) had hyperglycemia. The hyperglycemia group had lower DQ (81.0 ± 19.3 vs. 91.1 ± 15.3, P < 0.01) and decreased normal DQ rate (37% vs. 75%, P < 0.001). In the multiple logistic regression models, hyperglycemia was significantly associated with lower normal DQ rates (P = 0.03). Hyperglycemia, defined as a blood glucose level of >15 mmol/L, was independently negatively associated with normal DQ after adjusting for confounders.