The association between cord pH at birth and intellectual function in childhood.

Journal article

BACKGROUND: Acidemia at birth is very common but little is known about its long-term consequences. AIM: To determine if pH at birth is related to established tests of intellectual function. SUBJECTS: School children aged 6-8, for whom obstetric data were available, who had been delivered after labour at term, and had an umbilical cord arterial pH>7.00 (i.e. that was not extremely acidemic). STUDY DESIGN/OUTCOMES: Retrospective cohort study correlating birth and arterial pH data with childhood tests for non-verbal intelligence, grammar comprehension and literacy. METHODS: Relationships between pH and cognitive measures were analysed with parametric correlations. Partial correlations were used to examine these relationships, controlling for possible confounding factors. RESULTS: Arterial pH was significantly negatively correlated with literacy (p=0.001) and with non-verbal intelligence (p=0.033). CONCLUSIONS: Lower arterial pH is associated with higher scores on literacy and non-verbal intelligence tests at ages 6-8. This is unlikely to be a chance finding and is further evidence that acidemia in isolation should not be considered an adverse outcome. Further research on the relationship between labour and long-term cognitive measures is required.

Authors: Svirko, E; Mellanby, J; Impey, L

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Early human development
• Volume: 84
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 37-41
• Publication date: 2008-01-01
• DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2007.02.002
• EISSN: 1872-6232
• ISSN: 0378-3782
• Language: English
• Keywords: Retrospective Studies; Intelligence Tests; Pregnancy; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Female; Child; Intelligence; Cohort Studies; Infant, Newborn; Fetal Blood; Humans