ALMOST half the babies born extremely prematurely suffer from physical or learning disabilities by the age of 6, a study has found.

The research indicates that although 54 per cent of children born between 20 and 25 weeks’ gestation had no, or at worst mild, problems, 46 per cent suffered from moderate to severe disabilities, including cerebral palsy, low intelligence, blindness and deafness.

Premature baby boys were more than twice as likely as girls to develop physical and learning disabilities.

The new information will be given to parents deciding how far they should go to keep premature babies alive. It costs the NHS about £1,000 a day to keep premature babies ventilated.

The £300,000 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine is the first in Britain to follow the development of a group of premature babies to early childhood.

The babies born in 1995 were assessed at 2 and 6, when they were compared with classmates who were born at full term. Results of the assessment of six-year-olds reveals double the proportion of disabilities found in the assessment of the prematurely born children when they were aged 2.

Kate Costeloe, Professor of Paediatrics at Queen Mary, University of London, and the investigation group leader, said that the problem posed huge problems for the medical profession. About half of the premature babies functioned within normal limits in mobility and development, Professor Costeloe said, but a quarter had severe disabilities, making them dependent on their parents.

By six, 241 of the 308 long-term survivors were still in the study, most of whom were in mainstream schools.

Neil Marlow, the study’s lead author and Professor of Neonatal Medicine at Nottingham University School of Human Development, said that while physical disabilities were evident at a younger age, learning difficulties needed to be detected in early childhood.

Rob Williams, chief executive of Bliss, a premature baby charity that sponsored the research, said that there was inadequate information available to parents about the resuscitation of premature babies.

In October the High Court ruled that Charlotte Wyatt, born three months prematurely, must not be resuscitated the next time she stops breathing, against her parents’ wishes. Mr Williams said that he hoped that the study would better enable doctors and parents to agree on such decisions.

In the Netherlands, doctors will not treat babies born at less than 25 weeks’ gestation. Mr Williams said: “Here, a large number of babies who would go on to have a very full quality of life would not make it under the Dutch policy.”

Naomi Gill, born at 25 weeks’ gestation, was among the children assessed. She suffers from an asthma-like condition and experienced slow development while learning to crawl.

Melanie Gill, 43, from Uckfield, East Sussex, said she was told her that her daughter was likely to be blind or deaf, but Naomi led a relatively normal life.“She did most things delayed, but got there in the end.”

ASSESSING THE RISKS

Risk of disabilities in six-year-old children born extremely pre-term (under 26 weeks gestation) compared with classmates born at full-term:

• Cerebral palsy (not walking): Premature babies have a 6 per cent higher chance of this condition
• Severe learning problems: Premature children have a 21 per cent higher chance of developing such difficulties
• Profound hearing loss: Extremely premature babies have a 3 per cent risk of being born deaf
• Blindness: Premature babies have a 2 per cent higher risk
• Any severe disability: Premature children have a 22 per cent higher risk

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