Risk registry of at-risk infants

A Regional Registry for babies at risk and handicapped children was established on October, 1st 1981 at the Department of Paediatrics University Hospital Centre Rijeka covering three north-western counties of Croatia. The clinic for children with neurodevelopment disorders started simultaneously. The aim of this paper is to illustrate methods of work of the Registry and Clinic and their significance in the early detection and consequently early treatment of such children. The results presented reflect part of twenty years of work by the Registry concerning children born and domiciled in Rijeka and the surrounding area. Developmental disturbances include cerebral palsy, mental retardation, visual, hearing and speaking impairment, communicating, educational and socialisation difficulties. The prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) is 3.6 to 1000 newborns (123 CP to 33,778 newborns). Prematurity, asphyxia, neurological simptomatology and every severe illness or infection in the neonatal period are risk factors with the worst prognosis for all risk factors we carry out. Among 123 children with cerebral palsy born and domiciled in Rijeka and the surroundings between 1982 and 1997, 104 (84.6%) were born before the 37th week of gestation – and 19 (15.4%) in or after the 37th week of gestation. The analysis of the distribution of children with cerebral palsy in particular gestational age groups point out the correlation: the shorter the duration of gestation the higher is the prevalence of cerebral palsy. Results of our investigations show that 35.9% of children with cerebral palsy have epilepsy. At risk babies are not a priori handicapped, they must only be followed up with maximal attention and treated adequately.