Cognitive and educational outcomes in early adulthood for infants weighing 1000 grams or less at birth

To assess the intelligence quotient (IQ) and academic achievement in early adulthood of a cohort of extremely-low-birthweight (ELBW 1000 g) subjects. All 82 ELBW survivors consecutively born in or referred to a single tertiary center in 1976-1981 were traced at a mean age of 18 y. Three disabled children had died. Fifty-nine subjects (75%) had their IQ tested and 69 (87%) responded to a questionnaire. They were compared to 44 term, normal birthweight (NBW) matched controls. Outcome measures were: IQ (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) and educational outcome. The main outcome variables were compared between groups and analyzed for neonatal and demographic data and in the ELBW group for childhood data. There was a strong relationship (r2=0.55, p