TITLE:
Neurodevelopmental Problems in Children at 9 Months of Age Associated with Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy
AUTHORS:
Evelyn Mungyeh Mah, Seraphin Nguefack, Hélène Kamo Selangai, Andréas Chiabi, Mbassi Awa, Félicité Dongmo, Mazou Ngou Temgoua, Elie Mbonda
KEYWORDS:
Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation, Cameroon
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.7 No.2,
June
23,
2017
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Neonatal asphyxia is a major cause of infant morbidity in Cameroon. The aim of this study was to describe the short-term neurological outcome of children following neonatal Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Methodology: We conducted a retrospective cohort study from May 2010 to September 2013. We included 39 exposed cases against 78 non-exposed cases followed-up for at least 9 months. The variables studied were: age, sex, head circumference, neurological sequelae, postural anomalies and motor skills and developmental age/quotient. The data collected were analyzed using Epi info software version 3.5.3. The Fisher Exact Test was used to compare the variables with a significance threshold defined for p Results: We recruited 39 cases for 78 controls. The majority (74.40%) of cases were classified as HIE Sarnat 3 and 25.60% Sarnat 2. Most of the children were aged 12 - 36 months with a mean age of 18 months. The male sex was predominant with a sex ratio of 1.2; and 61.50% of children with HIE had head circumference Conclusion: The frequency of neurological sequelae following HIE was high in our series. Efforts should be made to prevent perinatal asphyxia and to ensure the availability of material and staff trained to help babies’ breath in all the delivery rooms in our maternities.