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In analyses adjusted for gestational age,infants with severe hypothyroxinemia had a risk of disabling cerebral palsy that was nearly 11 times that of infants without hypothyroxinemia(odds ratio,10.8;95% confidence interval,3.0 to 39.3)and a mean mental development score at the age of two that was 15.4 points lower(95%confidence level,8.1 to 22.6 points)than the mean score of children with normal neonatal blood thyroxine concentrations.After adjustment for gestational age and multiple prenatal,perinatal and early and late neonatal variables,severe hypothyroxinemia was still associated with an increased risk of disabling cerebral palsy(odds ratio,4/4;95%confidence interval,1.0 to 18.6)and a reduction of nearly 7 points(95%confidence interval,0.3 to 13.2 points)in the mental development score.Severe hypothyroxinemia in preterm infants may be an important cause of problems in neurologic and mental development detected at the age of two years. |
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