Abstract

DURA TRAVE, Teodoro; SAN MARTIN GARCIA, Isabel; CHUECA GUINDELAIN, María Jesús  and  BERRADE ZUBIRI, Sara. Longitudinal study of the evolution (from birth to 8 years of age) of anthropometric variables in a cohort of very low birth weight infants. Nutr. Hosp. [online]. 2014, vol.30, n.5, pp.1063-1070. ISSN 1699-5198.  https://dx.doi.org/10.3305/nh.2014.30.5.7719.

Objective: Descriptive anthropometric survey in a cohort of very low birth weight infants (VLBWI) newborns from birth to age 8 years, analyzing the growth characteristics in these patients. Material and Methods: Retrospective registration of weight and height at birth and age 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 years in a cohort of 170 VLBWI (< 1500 g). Patients were separated into appropriate for gestational age (AGA, n=101) and low birth weight or small for gestational age (SGA, n=69) according to the charts from Carrascosa, et al. Anthropometric variables were compared with those from a control group. Results: Gestational age was 30.4±3.1 weeks. Weight and height at birth were 1182.1± 228.4 g and 38.2± 3.2 cm, respectively. Weight, height and body mass index in both sexes and every considered age were higher (p<0.05) within the control group with respect to VLBWI (AGA and SGA). At age 2, 81.2% and 71% of AGA and SGA (p<0.05) respectively, presented with normal height. At age 8, the height of 8.95% of AGA and 17.4% of SGA infants did not exceed the 2 SD below the average of the control group. Conclusions: VLBWI have a catch-up growth which allows the acquisition of normal height in 87.1% and 78.3% of patients in groups AGA and SGA, respectively, at age 4. Only 8.9% of patients in group AGA did not present catch-up growth at age 8, being the possibility of treatment with growing hormone (GH) not included.

Keywords : Catch-up; Intrauterine growth retardation; Premature infant; Very low birth weight infant.

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