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Brian Vastag

JAMA. 2003;289:1915.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

In the year 2000, about 58 000 infants were born weighing less than 1500 g. Although this figure accounts for just 1.4% of all births, very low-birth–weight infants account for the highest rates of neonatal morbidity and mortality.

In particular, such infants are at risk for neurological impairments, abnormal cognitive development, speech and language delay, hearing loss, behavioral disorders, learning disabilities, visual impairment, pulmonary impairment, and growth impairment, concludes a new evidence report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

The report (available at http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epcix.htm), the latest in AHRQ's evidence-based practice program, screened 16 614 abstracts found in PubMed and other medical databases, reviewing 1693 of them in-depth. The best studies were then used to compile the report.

Some specific findings include:

• Glucocorticoid therapy for prevention or treatment of neonatal lung disease increases the long-term risk for neurological disorders.
  
• Bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a common problem in low-birth–weight infants, . . . [Full Text of this Article]