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Biological vulnerability in infants with failure to thrive: the association with birthweight
1RN and College of Nursing, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA. steward.20@osu.edu
Insights
Lower birthweight in full-term infants is linked to failure to thrive (FTT). Unrecognized intrauterine growth retardation may increase FTT risk in these infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neonatology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Failure to thrive (FTT) is a complex condition influenced by biological and environmental factors.
- Birthweight is a key biological indicator potentially associated with infant growth failure.
- Studies show infants with FTT and full-term birthweights have significantly lower birthweights compared to healthy controls.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the role of birthweight as a potential precursor to the development of failure to thrive.
- To investigate the hypothesis that a subgroup of full-term infants with unrecognized intrauterine growth retardation may be at higher risk for FTT.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of birthweights between infants diagnosed with FTT and healthy control infants.
- Review of existing evidence on intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and its impact on full-term newborns.
- Discussion of behavioral vulnerability in infants with varying degrees of growth restriction.
Main Results:
- Infants with FTT who were full-term at birth exhibited significantly lower birthweights (M = 2959 g) than healthy controls (M = 3364 g).
- Evidence suggests a subgroup of full-term infants may have unrecognized intrauterine growth retardation despite birthweights above the 2500 g threshold.
Conclusions:
- Birthweight is a critical factor to consider in the etiology of failure to thrive.
- Unrecognized intrauterine growth retardation in full-term infants may represent a significant risk factor for developing FTT.
- Further research is warranted to understand the behavioral implications and long-term outcomes for this unrecognized group.
Abstract:
The development of failure to thrive (FTT) is hypothesized to be caused by the interaction between biological and environmental factors. Birthweight is one biological variable thought to play a role in the infant's growth failure. In studies that enrolled infants with FTT who were full-term at birth, the reported birthweights of these infants were significantly less than healthy control infants (M = 2959 g vs. M = 3364 g), t(14) = -4.597, P < 0.000. There is growing evidence that there is a subgroup of full-term newborn infants who actually may have experienced some degree of intrauterine growth retardation but their birthweights remain above the traditional cut-off of 2500 g so that they go unrecognized. The question to consider is whether these infants are as behaviourally vulnerable as full-term infants with classic intrauterine growth retardation. It may be that this unrecognized group is at a higher risk of developing FTT. The purpose of this manuscript is to discuss birthweight as a possible precursor to the development of FTT.