Adult Functional Outcome of Those Born Small for Gestational Age

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Abstract
The long-term effects of fetal growth retardation on intellectual and educational outcome remain controversial. Those born small for gestational age (SGA) may demonstrate developmental delays in childhood,1-4 although other studies have not substantiated these findings.5-9 Even when cognitive impairments have been identified, these deficits are typically quite small. Unfortunately, because of study design and difficulty in long-term tracking of patients, the vast majority of outcome studies follow up children who were SGA to mid-childhood. In adolescence, Westwood and colleagues5 found no significant differences in IQ between those children who were SGA and those who were normal birth weight (NBW); however, only 33 (28%) of the original 118 children were located. Similarly, Stein et al,10 Douglas and Gear,11 and Nilsen et al12 also found no cognitive deficits among those aged 18 to 19 years who were SGA; however, relatively few adolescents were studied and follow-up rates were low. In contrast, Paz et al13 reported that boys who were SGA had lower levels of educational attainment and adolescent girls who were SGA had lower IQ scores than those who were NBW.

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