Abstract
Background and aims: Late preterm newborns account for 70% of preterm birth. Fat mass (FM) significantly accrues during the last trimester of pregnancy. To assess the FM changes through the first months of corrected age (CA) in a cohort of late preterm infants (LPI).
Methods: Longitudinal study. Forty-nine infants (19 males) were enrolled. Inclusion criteria: GA: 34-36 weeks, singleton pregnancy, Caucasian parentage, being born AGA. Exclusion criteria: congenital and heart diseases, NEC. Reference group: 40 full-term (FT) healthy newborns. Growth and FM were assessed by an air displacement plethysmography system in LPI after delivery, at term, at 1 and 3 months. ANOVA.
Results: Mean GA (weeks) and BW (g) were 35.2±0.7 and 2496 ±330, respectively. All infants were breast fed (human milk >50% of the daily volume intake). FM values (%) of LPI were higher than those of FT infants at term and at 1 month (16.1±4.6 vs 8.9±3, 22.6±4.2 vs17.4±.4, P< 0.001). FM (%) in LPI increased from delivery (5.7±3.9) to the third month (26,7 ±4.3) (p< 0.001), reaching values comparable to those of FT infants. LPI showed a mean weight (g) higher than that of FT infants at term and 1 month (3396±390 vs 3046±471, 4521±398 vs 3909±501, P< 0.005) whereas weight values at 3 months were similar in both groups (6050±485 vs 5903±580, P=NS).
Conclusion: The rapid catch up growth shown by LPI might represent either an adaptive mechanism to extrauterine life or a risk factor for developing the metabolic syndrome.
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Roggero, P., Giannì, M., Amato, O. et al. Does Extrauterine Quality of Growth in Late Preterm Approximate that of Full Term Infants?. Pediatr Res 70 (Suppl 5), 826 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2011.1051
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2011.1051
