Systemic inflammatory mediators and neurodevelopmental outcomes in term infants: a retrospective cohort study

In term infants, invasive bacterial infection and its associated acute systemic inflammatory response are strongly associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18-22 months, independent of key demographic confounders. Integrating early cytokine profiling with routine developmental screening may aid in the early recognition of infants at potential risk, though further research is needed to determine if these associations are modifiable.