Babies who have been resuscitated at birth are more likely to have a low IQ by the age of eight.
The study, by Bristol's Southmead Hospital, known as 'The Children of the 90s study', compared babies who were resuscitated at birth with those who had a problem-free delivery.
The research in The Lancet suggests that even mild problems around delivery could be enough to cause subtle damage to the brain. They found that children who were resuscitated, but required no further treatment, had a 65% increased risk of a low IQ compared with those who were not. A low IQ is defined as being less than 80.
The risk of a low IQ for children who were resuscitated and also required further treatment for signs of brain damage, known as encephalopathy, was six times higher than babies delivered without any problem. In general, the risk of a low IQ for any of the children was still relatively low.
Andy Cole, of special care baby charity Bliss, said that although the study was interesting it didn't actually prove any direct link between resuscitation and low IQ.
He said: "When a very ill baby requires resuscitation there are usually a range of factors at play, including prenatal conditions, the health of the baby at birth, as well as the mother's health. It is also important to note that this research is looking at babies born in the early 1990s, and that current resuscitation practices have much improved over the past 15 years. The findings may well not be applicable to babies born today."
Professor Andrew Shennan, from Tommy's, the baby charity, said the study showed that rates of maternal infection were significantly higher in the group with low IQ. Maternal infections raise the risk of premature birth, which is in itself associated with a higher risk of problems during delivery.
April 2009
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