A Sixteen-year Longitudinal Study of growth of Low Birth Weight Infants

Peng YM, Feng LY, Guo ZP, Liu XY

Department of Child Health Care,

Children’s Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

 

Objective: The purposes of this study were to explore and reveal the long-term effect of low birth weight on growth of children and adolescents. Design is prospective cohort study.

Methods: The body growth of 203 LBW infants (101 small for date infants and 102 preterm infants) and 71 full-term infants living in Xu Hui district of Shanghai, born during Jan 1, 1983 and Dec 31, 1983, were observed from birth to sixteen years.

Children's anthropometry (weight, length, height, head circumference), were assessed at birth, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months, 4, 5, 6 and 16 years.

Results: There were significant differences in the mean weightheighthead circumference in all observing time layers among SFD, preterm and control groups (P<0.01). All these index showed a rank that the control group was higher than preterm, and preterm group was higher than SFD’s. This trend would last to adolescence. The catch-up growth of weight occurred in postnatal fifth months. The catch-up growth of height and head circumference occurred in postnatal 9-12 months.

Conclusion: It is very obvious that LBW can affect children's body growth. Furthermore, this kind of influence may continue to their adolescence. The negative effect of LBW on body growth of SFD is more obviously than that of preterm infants.

 
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