Twenty-Three-Year Long-Term Health Outcome After the War in Vukovar
Results of the first research of this kind on the 23-year long-term outcome in children born during the war in Vukovar are presented. This retrospective clinical study surveyed the potential 23-year long-term consequences and morbidity of children born between May 1, 1991 and November 19, 1991, duri...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Sestre Milosrdnice University hospital, Institute of Clinical Medical Research
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Acta Clinica Croatica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/237753 |
| _version_ | 1797207920320970752 |
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| author | Dubravko Habek Tatjana Dujaković Jasna Čerkez Habek Ivana Jurković |
| author_facet | Dubravko Habek Tatjana Dujaković Jasna Čerkez Habek Ivana Jurković |
| author_sort | Dubravko Habek |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Results of the first research of this kind on the 23-year long-term outcome in children born during the war in Vukovar are presented. This retrospective clinical study surveyed the potential 23-year long-term consequences and morbidity of children born between May 1, 1991 and November 19, 1991, during the siege and occupation of Vukovar. Data were obtained from women having delivered their babies in that period and from delivery protocols of the Department
of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Vukovar County Hospital. According to the survey and the data collected, there were 9 (3.98%) preterm deliveries, 60 (81%) of the total of 77 subjects were breastfed, 14 (19%) were not breastfed, while three babies died in the postpartum period. However, the breastfeeding period was evidently shorter, as only 10 women breastfed for a period longer than 6 months, while the mean length of the breastfeeding period was 9.9 weeks, i.e. 2.5 months. Allergyrelated illnesses and proneness to infections in childhood and preschool age were found in 27.3% and 16.9% of children, respectively, while two children developed diabetes type 1. One child had atopic diathesis, two started speaking after the age of two, one child started walking late (after 20 months) and started speaking after the age of two, one child had loud sound phobia, and one used to overreact and express anger in inconvenient situations, all of them being of female gender and born prematurely. Cognitive and attention disorders and stress reactions were found in 6.5% of the children. Regular elementary school education was completed by 74 (96%) children, while three (3.8%) children experienced failure at school due bad behavior, i.e. delinquency. At the age of 23, 34 (46%)
children had developed bad habits, i.e. 33 of them smoked, 2 were addicted to alcohol, whereas one was addicted to both smoking and alcohol. Forty (54%) subjects did not use any harmful substances.
Psychiatric disorders related to anxiety, depression or other illnesses were not found in this research. In conclusion, it should be noted that pregnant women who gave birth during the study period spent the first trimester of their pregnancy in a relatively peaceful pre-war period without acute stressors, so the long-term results and morbidity actually did not differ from those in the general population. The most important isolated risk factor was premature delivery with the known short-term and long-term consequences typical for premature delivery (perinatal mortality, slow neuromotor and cognitive development). |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T09:30:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-07b131d7e0074fc29598cb711da7f5c7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0353-9466 1333-9451 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T09:30:34Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Sestre Milosrdnice University hospital, Institute of Clinical Medical Research |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Clinica Croatica |
| spelling | doaj.art-07b131d7e0074fc29598cb711da7f5c72024-04-15T13:53:47ZengSestre Milosrdnice University hospital, Institute of Clinical Medical ResearchActa Clinica Croatica0353-94661333-94512016-01-0155.1.585810.20471/acc.2016.55.01.9Twenty-Three-Year Long-Term Health Outcome After the War in VukovarDubravko Habek0Tatjana Dujaković1Jasna Čerkez Habek2Ivana Jurković3University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sveti Duh University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia; Croatian Catholic University, Zagreb, CroatiaVukovar Health Centre, Vukovar, CroatiaUniversity Department of Internal Medicine, Sveti Duh University Hospital,Zagreb, Croatia; Croatian Catholic University, Zagreb, CroatiaHigh Nursing School, Bjelovar, CroatiaResults of the first research of this kind on the 23-year long-term outcome in children born during the war in Vukovar are presented. This retrospective clinical study surveyed the potential 23-year long-term consequences and morbidity of children born between May 1, 1991 and November 19, 1991, during the siege and occupation of Vukovar. Data were obtained from women having delivered their babies in that period and from delivery protocols of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Vukovar County Hospital. According to the survey and the data collected, there were 9 (3.98%) preterm deliveries, 60 (81%) of the total of 77 subjects were breastfed, 14 (19%) were not breastfed, while three babies died in the postpartum period. However, the breastfeeding period was evidently shorter, as only 10 women breastfed for a period longer than 6 months, while the mean length of the breastfeeding period was 9.9 weeks, i.e. 2.5 months. Allergyrelated illnesses and proneness to infections in childhood and preschool age were found in 27.3% and 16.9% of children, respectively, while two children developed diabetes type 1. One child had atopic diathesis, two started speaking after the age of two, one child started walking late (after 20 months) and started speaking after the age of two, one child had loud sound phobia, and one used to overreact and express anger in inconvenient situations, all of them being of female gender and born prematurely. Cognitive and attention disorders and stress reactions were found in 6.5% of the children. Regular elementary school education was completed by 74 (96%) children, while three (3.8%) children experienced failure at school due bad behavior, i.e. delinquency. At the age of 23, 34 (46%) children had developed bad habits, i.e. 33 of them smoked, 2 were addicted to alcohol, whereas one was addicted to both smoking and alcohol. Forty (54%) subjects did not use any harmful substances. Psychiatric disorders related to anxiety, depression or other illnesses were not found in this research. In conclusion, it should be noted that pregnant women who gave birth during the study period spent the first trimester of their pregnancy in a relatively peaceful pre-war period without acute stressors, so the long-term results and morbidity actually did not differ from those in the general population. The most important isolated risk factor was premature delivery with the known short-term and long-term consequences typical for premature delivery (perinatal mortality, slow neuromotor and cognitive development).https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/237753WarCroatiaLong term adverse effectsOutcome assessment (health care)MorbidityEpidemiology |
| spellingShingle | Dubravko Habek Tatjana Dujaković Jasna Čerkez Habek Ivana Jurković Twenty-Three-Year Long-Term Health Outcome After the War in Vukovar Acta Clinica Croatica War Croatia Long term adverse effects Outcome assessment (health care) Morbidity Epidemiology |
| title | Twenty-Three-Year Long-Term Health Outcome After the War in Vukovar |
| title_full | Twenty-Three-Year Long-Term Health Outcome After the War in Vukovar |
| title_fullStr | Twenty-Three-Year Long-Term Health Outcome After the War in Vukovar |
| title_full_unstemmed | Twenty-Three-Year Long-Term Health Outcome After the War in Vukovar |
| title_short | Twenty-Three-Year Long-Term Health Outcome After the War in Vukovar |
| title_sort | twenty three year long term health outcome after the war in vukovar |
| topic | War Croatia Long term adverse effects Outcome assessment (health care) Morbidity Epidemiology |
| url | https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/237753 |
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