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Anesthesia may negatively impact IQ, comprehension in children
The use of anesthesia in pediatric patients aged 4 years or younger may be associated with lower IQ, lower language compression and changes in brain structure, according to recent study findings.
“Given the ubiquitous use of anesthetics in modern medicine, epidemiologic data have tried to ascertain whether these agents have lasting effects on cognitive function in children,” study researcher Andreas W. Loepke, MD, PhD, FAAP, and colleagues wrote in Pediatrics. “The potentially deleterious effects of anesthetic exposure for surgery at a young age are a major concern for pediatric health.”
To measure changes in brain structure and function in children after the administration of anesthesia, researchers gathered 53 optimal subjects from a pre-existing MRI database. The cohort was divided into an exposed group, consisting of children who had received anesthesia at age 4 years or younger; and a control group not exposed to anesthesia. MRI results from control participants were matched with comparative MRIs from the exposed group, based on age, gender, handedness and socioeconomic status.
Results also were dependent on how subjects fared on neurocognitive assessments, including the Oral and Written Language Scales and Wechsler Intelligence Scales.
Test scores for the overall cohort remained within the normal range, regardless of anesthesia history. Participants from the exposure group, however, scored lower in listening comprehension (P = .013) and IQ assessment.
Exposure did not cause major loss of gray matter in the specific regions researchers had anticipated based on previous animal-based studies. However, lower IQ and comprehension scores were relative with lower gray matter density in the occipital cortex and cerebellum.
While these findings suggest that anesthesia use in early childhood may be related to permanent alterations in brain function and structure, the researchers said more studies are needed to determine if this relationship is causal.
“These provocative findings warrant additional research efforts to better define human applicability of animal data, to delineate the phenomenon’s mechanisms, and to devise mitigating strategies for this potential dilemma for child health,” Loepke and colleagues wrote. – by David Costill
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
