Estudio epidemiológico clínico sobre la morbilidad de una muestra de niños con antecedentes de prematuridad

This paper presents an epidemiological study based on a clinical sample with prematurity antecedents that was diagnosed and received treatment in a private psychology center in Madrid between December 1997 and December 2010. The study sample is 97 subjects (63 male and 32 female) between 2 and 15 years of age. The main objective of the present study is to describe the morbidity in a sample of children born preterm of different ages. Data were obtained from the medical history record. The diagnoses were analyzed and described using frequencies, percentages and contingency tables. Results revealed that most of the children showed communication and learning disabilities. A long-term follow-up of children born preterm is needed, to assess and control their development in different areas. It is suggested that the early identification and intervention on the difficulties of this at at-risk population can reduce the presence of behavior and school-learning difficulties later in life.