Single exposure to general anesthesia in children younger than 36 months did not affect IQ scores later in childhood, according to a JAMA study.
The study cohort included pairs of siblings aged between eight years and 15 years. Part of the cohort had been exposed to general anesthesia before the age of 3 years. Researchers compared their IQ and other cognitive skills to those of their biologically similar siblings who had not been exposed to general anesthesia.
Here are three points:
1. Among the 105 sibling pairs, the siblings exposed to anesthesia and the unexposed siblings had IQ testing at mean ages of 10.6 and 10.9 years, respectively.
2. Statistically, mean IQ scores between exposed siblings and unexposed siblings were not significantly different.
3. Additionally, there were no statistically significant differences in mean scores between sibling pairs in memory/learning, motor/processing speed, visuospatial function, attention, executive function, language or behavior.