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Population-based studies have shown that low Apgar scores are associated with cerebral palsy (CP) in term infants. The utility of the Apgar score in predicting CP in low birth weight infants has been less clear. To investigate this issue, researchers conducted a population-based cohort study of more than 500,000 infants who survived to one year in Norway.
Among infants with normal birth weight (≥2500 grams), a low Apgar score (<4) recorded at 5 minutes after delivery conferred a substantial 125-fold increased risk for CP compared with a score above 8. Infants with low birth weight (1500–2499 grams) and low Apgar scores had a 16-fold increased risk for CP, and those with very low birth weight (<1500 grams) had a 5-fold increased risk. The ass…