In this cohort of children born extremely preterm, social disadvantage at birth, male sex, BPD, WMI, and neonatal systemic inflammation were associated with slower gains in cognitive scores from age 2 years to 15 years. Early WMI moderated the associations between social disadvantage and cognitive functioning. Efforts to address both neonatal morbidities and social factors could improve cognitive functioning in children born extremely preterm.
Hooper et al. (Thu,) studied this question.