Abstract

A male child, born at 37+5 gestational weeks (GWs) (birthweight 2000g) after intrauterine growth retardation (IUG; -3 SD), to a mother treated during pregnancy for asthma, developed periventricular leukomalacia and retinopathy with total retinal detachment in the left eye and partial detachment in the right eye. Apart from basic asthma treatment with terbutalin, budesonid, and fenoterolhydrobromid throughout the pregnancy, she was treated with intravenous or oral cortisone for 6.5 weeks from 28+5 GWs. In addition she developed deep venous thrombosis at 29 GWs and was treated with heparin until delivery. Psychotic symptoms during the 31st GW were treated with diazepam, haloperidol, and levomepromazin. Functional sequelae for the child were visual impairment (visual acuity 5/60), uneven intellectual profile (Wechsler Pre-school and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Verbal IQ 94 and Performance IQ 32 at 8y of age), and autistic-like behaviour. The possibility that pre- and perinatal risk factors (e.g. severe maternal illness, IUGR, and cortisone treatment) in a term infant may create conditions for developing eye and brain pathologies commonly closely related to preterm birth should be considered.