Growth pattern and final height of very preterm vs. very low birth weight infants

• Published in: Pediatric research Vol. 82; no. 2; pp. 317 - 323
• Main Authors: Hollanders, Jonneke J, van der Pal, Sylvia M, van Dommelen, Paula, Rotteveel, Joost, Finken, Martijn J J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.08.2017; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/136; 692/700/1720/3185; 692/700/1720/3187; Adult; Age; Birth weight; Body Height; Child, Preschool; clinical-investigation; Cohort Studies; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Netherlands; Pediatric Surgery; Pediatrics; Physical growth; Premature birth; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0031-3998; 1530-0447; 1530-0447
• DOI: 10.1038/pr.2017.63

Background Both very preterm (VP; i.e., gestational age <32 weeks) and very low birth weight (VLBW; i.e., birth weight <1,500 g) are used as inclusion criteria by studies on preterm birth. We aimed to quantify the impact of these entities on postnatal growth until final height. Methods Subjects born VP and/or with VLBW from the Project On Preterm and Small-for-gestational-age infants cohort were classified as follows: (1) VP+/VLBW+ ( n =495), (2) VP+/VLBW− ( n =207), or (3) VP−/VLBW+ ( n =296) infants. Anthropometric data were collected at birth, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months’ corrected age, and at 5 and 19 years. At 19 years, 590/998 (59%) of the subjects enrolled in 1983 were followed up. Results Birth size was smallest in the VP−/VLBW+ group compared with the VP+/VLBW+ and VP+/VLBW− groups. During childhood, length, weight, and head circumference SD scores increased in the VP−/VLBW+ group, whereas SD scores in the VP+/VLBW+ and VP+/VLBW− groups either remained stable or decreased. Despite catch-up growth, VP−/VLBW+ infants remained the shortest and lightest at age 19. Conclusion Classification on the basis of VP and VLBW impacts growth, causing different growth patterns for infants born VP+/VLBW+, VP+/VLBW−, or VP−/VLBW+. For future studies, we recommend, at least for industrialized countries, including preterm infants based on gestational age.