Parental religious affiliation and survival of premature infants with severe intraventricular hemorrhage

Objective: To evaluate the association between parents' ethnic/religious affiliation (secular Jewish, religious Jewish, ultra-orthodox Jewish, Muslim Arabs) and survival of premature infants with severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). Study Design: Survival of 102 infants (birth weight <= 1500 g) born at the Hadassah hospitals in Jerusalem from 1 January 1996 through 31 December 2005, who sustained severe IVH and who survived over 48 h, was assessed in relation to their parents' ethnic/religious affiliation and accounting for relevant clinical and demographic variables. Result: There were 38 cases of demise among 72 infants with IVH grade IV (52.8%), and 4 among 30 infants with IVH grade III (13.3%). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis accounting for relevant perinatal variables, the odds for mortality compared to the reference Arab group was significantly lower only with regard to ultra-orthodox patients (odds ratio, OR=0.06; 95% confidential interval, CI=0.00 to 0.80; P=0.033). In a logistic and in the Cox stepwise regression analyses with religion as forced in variable, comparing infants with IVH grade IV of religious and ultra-orthodox Jewish families with those of secular Jewish families, the OR/hazard ratio (HR) for mortality were OR=0.10; 95% CI=0.01 to 0.06; P=0.017, and HR=0.37; 95% CI=0.16 to 0.85; P=0.019, respectively. No significant difference between the groups was demonstrated when infants with IVH grade III were analyzed apart. Conclusion: Parental religious affiliation may be influential on the outcome of premature infants with severe brain damage.