Background Twins are considered to be at an increased risk for perinatal mortality and morbidities, but it is unclear whether preterm twins are at an increased risk for poor developmental outcomes when compared to preterm singletons. Our aim was to compare the neurodevelopmental outcome of preterm twins vs singletons at 5 years of age. Methods Very low birth weight and very low gestational age infants (twins n = 66, singletons n = 157) were recruited as a part of the PIPARI project in the Turku University Hospital, covering a regional population. Cognitive development, neuropsychological performance, and neurodevelopmental impairments (including cerebral palsy, hearing deficit, visual impairment, and intellectual disability) were evaluated at 5 years of age. Results Twins and singletons had otherwise similar perinatal background factors, except for the higher proportion of preterm rupture of membranes in singletons. Twins had cognitive and neuropsychological outcomes that were otherwise comparable with singletons, but they had a slightly lower verbal intelligence quotient (estimate −5.81, 95% CI −11.14 to −0.48, p = 0.03). Being a twin was not a risk for neurodevelopmental impairments. Conclusions Our study shows that, contrary to a common hypothesis, the overall neurodevelopment of very preterm twins does not significantly differ from that of preterm singletons.

中文翻译：

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早产双胞胎 5 岁时的神经发育结果

背景 双胞胎被认为围产期死亡率和发病率的风险增加，但与早产单胎相比，早产双胞胎发育不良的风险是否增加尚不清楚。我们的目的是比较 5 岁时早产双胞胎与单胎的神经发育结果。方法 招募极低出生体重和极低胎龄婴儿（双胞胎 n = 66，单胎 n = 157）作为图尔库大学医院 PIPARI 项目的一部分，涵盖区域人口。在 5 岁时评估认知发育、神经心理表现和神经发育障碍（包括脑瘫、听力缺陷、视力障碍和智力障碍）。结果双胞胎和单胎在其他方面具有相似的围产期背景因素，除了单胎胎膜早破的比例较高。双胞胎的认知和神经心理学结果与单身人士相当，但他们的语言智商略低（估计值 -5.81，95% CI -11.14 至 -0.48，p = 0.03）。双胞胎不会带来神经发育障碍的风险。结论 我们的研究表明，与普遍假设相反，极早产双胞胎的整体神经发育与早产单胎的整体神经发育没有显着差异。双胞胎不会带来神经发育障碍的风险。结论 我们的研究表明，与普遍假设相反，极早产双胞胎的整体神经发育与早产单胎的整体神经发育没有显着差异。双胞胎不会带来神经发育障碍的风险。结论 我们的研究表明，与普遍假设相反，极早产双胞胎的整体神经发育与早产单胎的整体神经发育没有显着差异。