Apgar scores in neonates predict risk of CP and epilepsy
An infant’s scores on the so-called Apgar scale can predict the risk of a later diagnosis of cerebral palsy or epilepsy. The risk rises with decreasing Apgar score, but even slightly lowered scores can be linked to a higher risk of these diagnoses, according to an extensive observational study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in the esteemed journal The BMJ.“However, it’s important to remember that even if the relative risks are high, the absolute risks of CP and epilepsy are still small,” says researcher Martina Persson, paediatrician and associate professor at