Growth of adolescents who were born at extremely low birth weight without major disability

• Published in: The Journal of pediatrics Vol. 136; no. 5; pp. 633 - 640
• Main Authors: Peralta-Carcelen, Myriam, Jackson, DeeAnne S., Goran, Michael I., Royal, Stuart A., Mayo, Matthew S., Nelson, Kathleen G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Mosby, Inc 01.05.2000
• Subjects: Adolescent; Birth Weight; Body Composition; Body Constitution; Cross-Sectional Studies; DEXA; Dual-energy x-ray absorpiometry; ELBW; Extremely low birth weight; Female; Growth; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Small for Gestational Age - growth & development; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight - growth & development; Male; National Center for Health Statistics; NBW; NCHS; Nervous System - growth & development; Normal birth weight; Not small for gestational age; NSGA; Sexual Maturation; SGA; Small for gestational age; Social Class; NBW; NSGA; NCHS; ELBW; SGA; DEXA
• ISSN: 0022-3476; 1097-6833
• DOI: 10.1067/mpd.2000.104291

Objective: To compare growth between adolescents who were born at extremely low birth weight (ELBW, ≤1000 g) and adolescents who were born at normal birth weight (NBW, ≥2500 g). Design/Methods: Cross-sectional design. Fifty-three ELBW and 53 NBW adolescents without a major neurodevelopmental disability were matched by sex, race, age, and socioeconomic status. Anthropometrics ( z scores), bone age, body composition (Lunar DPX-L densitometry), and sexual maturity were assessed. ELBW adolescents were classified as being born small for gestational age (SGA) or not (NSGA). Results: Subjects were 58.5% female, 43.4% black, and 56.6% white. The mean birth weight for ELBW subjects was 849 g and 3355 g for NBW subjects. The mean age was 14.85 years. On average, ELBW adolescents were 4.8 cm shorter and 9.1 kg lighter than NBW adolescents. ELBW adolescents had lower mean z scores for height ( P < .0001), weight ( P < .0001), and head circumference ( P < .0001) than NBW adolescents. ELBW/SGA subjects had lower mean z scores for height ( P < .0001) and weight ( P = .001) than NBW subjects. Head circumference z scores were lower for the ELBW/SGA group than the ELBW/NSGA group or the NBW group ( P = .003). Sexual maturity and relative body composition were similar between groups. Bone age, measured in SD units, was more advanced in the ELBW group (0.86 vs. 0.42, P = .039). Conclusions: ELBW adolescents who survive without a major neurodevelopmental disability attain lower growth measurements compared with NBW adolescents but have similar sexual maturation and relative body composition.