Association of perinatal factors of epilepsy in very low birth weight infants, using a nationwide database in Japan.

Objective: To determine clinical features of very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs) who had developed epilepsy by age 3 years.
Study Design: Multicenter cohort study using the Neonatal Research Network of Japan database. We analyzed clinical variables of 8431 VLBWIs who had recorded data of neurological sequelae at age 3 years. Logistic regression identified the association between variables and development of epilepsy.
Result: One hundred and forty-three (1.7%) infants developed epilepsy, 683 (8.1%) showed cerebral palsy (CP), and 1114 (13.2%) had psychomotor delay. Epilepsy was associated with history of sepsis [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 3.23], severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH; AOR 5.13), and cystic periventricular leukomalacia (PVL; AOR 12.7). Severe IVH and cystic PVL were also frequently associated with CP and psychomotor delay.
Conclusion: Severe IVH and cystic PVL are strongly associated with development of epilepsy, as well as other neurological sequelae, and are potential critical therapeutic targets.