Babies Born With Very Low Birth Weight Linked To Cognitive Delays As Adults
A recent article published in the December 6 edition of Neurology concludes that infants born with a very low birth weight continue to have cognitive delays as young adults. Such difficulties including reduced cognitive function including overall intelligence, speech impairment, memory deficiencies and difficulty switching between thoughts. Based on the study, the authors determined that the plasticity of the brain cannot fully compensate for early brain injuries.
While in some instances a birth injury is unavoidable, in other situations a physician or other health care provider fails to follow the requisite standard of care and makes mistakes that may affect a child’s life forever. Where medical personnel is found liable for medical malpractice, it may be possible to recover compensation to help relieve the financial stress and costs of treatment, and to insure your child receives the best care now and into the future. If you believe your child has suffered a birth injury as the result of medical malpractice, it is important to speak with an experienced California birth injury attorney as soon as possible to determine your next steps.
According to the study, injuries that occur early on in development may alter the structure and function of cells and organ function, which then alter subsequent development including cognitive development. Although in some cases the brain’s neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to make new connections – can recover from certain types of brain damage, it appears that in babies born with very low birth weight have specific abnormalities that cannot change. As stated in the findings “the consequences of lower neurocognitive functions in adulthood range from reduced education attainment and income to higher rates of chronic disease, a less healthy lifestyle, and higher all-cause mortality.”
A neurologist from California notes that even though infants born with a low birth weight may achieve the same grades and graduation rate, that this is actually troubling. “It’s really a wake-up call, indicating that even though someone appears to be doing well academically, there may still be issues going on that are less obvious, like impairments in memory coding and executive functioning that aren’t necessarily even tested during the school years.”
The impact of even a minor brain injury at birth can last a lifetime. While not every injury is preventable, in many situations the care provided by a health care professional may be able to reduce the chances that a birth injury occurs.
For more information, or if you believe your child has suffered a birth trauma, contact the knowledgeable California birth injury lawyers at Bostwick & Peterson for a free confidential consultation.
