Approximately what percentage of infants with Meconium Aspiration Syndrome have developmental delays by age 3?

• A. 10%
• B. 20%
• C. 40%
• D. 60%

Answer: (B)

Meconium aspiration syndrome can cause respiratory distress and potential periods of reduced brain oxygen delivery in the newborn period. While many infants recover well, a subset experiences neurodevelopmental impacts that become evident by early childhood. By age 3, about one in five children who had MAS show developmental delays, reflecting the range of potential brain effects and the influence of early care and intervention. This rate sits between being relatively uncommon and being extremely high, acknowledging that severity of illness and associated hypoxic injury can shift risk, but the commonly observed figure is around twenty percent.