Early Human Development
Volume 86, Issue 6 , Pages 329-338, June 2010

Epidemiology of neonatal encephalopathy and hypoxic–ischaemic encephalopathy

  • Jennifer J. Kurinczuk

      Affiliations

    • National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +44 1865 289700; fax: + 44 1865 289701.
    • ,
  • Melanie White-Koning

      Affiliations

    • Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III, Faculté des Sciences Pharmaceutiques, 31962 Toulouse Cedex 09, France
    • Tel.: +33 567 22 25 51; fax: +33 561 42 46 31.
    • ,
  • Nadia Badawi

      Affiliations

    • The Cerebral Palsy Institute, The Spastic Centre and the University of Notre Dame, Australia
    • Grace Centre for Newborn Care, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, the University of Sydney, Australia
    • Tel.: +61 2 98452715; fax: +61 2 98452251.

Accepted 7 May 2010.

Abstract 

Neonatal encephalopathy (NE) is the clinical manifestation of disordered neonatal brain function. Lack of universal agreed definitions of NE and the sub-group with hypoxic-ischaemia (HIE) makes the estimation of incidence and the identification of risk factors problematic. NE incidence is estimated as 3.0 per 1000 live births (95%CI 2.7 to 3.3) and for HIE is 1.5 (95%CI 1.3 to 1.7). The risk factors for NE vary between developed and developing countries with growth restriction the strongest in the former and twin pregnancy in the latter. Potentially modifiable risk factors include maternal thyroid disease, receipt of antenatal care, infection and aspects of the management of labour and delivery, although indications for some interventions were not reported and may represent a response to fetal compromise rather than the cause. It is estimated that 30% of cases of NE in developed populations and 60% in developing populations have some evidence of intrapartum hypoxic-ischaemia.

Keywords: Neonatal encephalopathy, Hypoxic–ischaemic encephalopathy, Incidence, Risk factors, Epidemiology

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PII: S0378-3782(10)00108-8

doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2010.05.010

Early Human Development
Volume 86, Issue 6 , Pages 329-338, June 2010

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