Dysphonia following preterm birth

Dysphonia – vocal abnormality – in children that were born preterm is relatively common but it is not screened for and behavioural or surgical interventions may be difficult for parents to access. Childhood dysphonia often persists into adulthood and can result in significant adverse social, academic and emotional outcomes that may add to other pre-existing problems of prematurity (eg hearing, developmental and cognitive challenges). Infants born extremely preterm/low birth weight or those that have had patent ductus arteriosus ligation might benefit from early referral for expert assessment. This article includes a personal story to better appreciate the ‘lived experience’.

Lauren Dhugga¹
Specialty Trainee in Paediatrics

Sophie Proud²
Neonatal Junior Sister

Salema King¹
Specialty Trainee in Paediatrics

Claire McLarnon³
Consultant Otolaryngologist

Nicholas Embleton^1,4
Consultant Neonatologist and Professor of Neonatal Medicine
nicholas.embleton@ncl.ac.uk

¹Neonatal Unit, Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI), Newcastle Hospitals NHSFT
²Neonatal Unit, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast
³Great North Children’s Hospital, RVI and ENT Dept, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle Hospitals NHSFT
⁴Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne

Dhugga L., Proud S., King S., McLarnon C., Embleton N. Dysphonia following preterm birth. Infant 2023;19(5):164-68.

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Keywords

dysphonia; voice disorder; extreme preterm birth; low birth weight; HRQoL

Key points

Dysphonia is common in children who were born preterm. It may result from damage to the larynx, laryngeal nerves or other structures.
It is often under-recognised or not referred for expert assessment.
Dysphonia can have significant adverse impacts over the life-course.

Also published in Infant:

VOLUME 14/ISSUE 5, SEPTEMBER 2018

Maternally-administered massage and weight gain in preterm and low birthweight infants: a systematic review

Early tactile experiences have long-term effects on preterm infants’ sensory performance. Weight gain is key to infant development; while research confirms that massage impacts positively on weight gain in this population, most of the literature focuses on massage administered by health professionals/researchers. This review aims to examine whether massage provided by an infant’s mother impacts on weight gain in preterm and/or low birthweight infants.