Abstract
The knowledge about the long-term growth of very preterm children in relation to gestational age at birth is incomplete. Therefore, a retrospective study of longitudinal growth from birth to 7 y of age in 52 of 56 surviving children who were born at a gestational age of <29 wk between 1988 and 1991 to mothers resident in the city of Göteborg, Sweden, was performed. A majority of the children had an initial decrease in weight during the first months of life, followed by an increase, with a maximum weight gain occurring at 36–40 wk postmenstrual age. After a period of decreased weight and length velocity, a second increase in weight velocity was demonstrated from 6 mo to 2 y of corrected age. A corresponding increase in length velocity was found from 2 to 12 mo of corrected age. A later catch-up growth period was found at 4-5 y of age. At 7 y of age, all but two had reached the normal height range of the population. This long-term catch-up in height was established later in those who were born at an earlier gestational age. We conclude that all preterm infants had an initial period of poor growth, which rendered them growth retarded during the first years of life. It took approximately 4-7 y to overcome what the very preterm child lost in growth during the first months of life. However, as a group, they did reach normal height, weight, and weight for height before puberty.
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Abbreviations
- GA:
-
gestational age
- SDS:
-
SD score
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Ann-Helén Liljeström, Margareta Olsson, and Birgitta Svensson, GPGRC, and Petra Otterblad Olausson Medical birth registry for assistance with data collection.
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This work was supported by grants from The Swedish Medical Research Council (7509, 10863, and 13515), The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, The Frimurare-Barnhusdirektionen, The Göteborg Medical Society, and Vilhelm och Martina Lundgrens Foundation.
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Niklasson, A., Engström, E., Hård, AL. et al. Growth in Very Preterm Children: A Longitudinal Study. Pediatr Res 54, 899–905 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1203/01.PDR.0000091287.38691.EF
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/01.PDR.0000091287.38691.EF
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