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Body composition in infants with chronic lung disease after treatment with dexamethasone

R J Bolt1, M M van Weissenbruch, J C Roos

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, VU University Medical Center, PO Box 7057, NL-1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Roel.Bolt@VUmc.nl

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|August 31, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Dexamethasone treatment for chronic lung disease in preterm infants did not affect body composition compared to infants without lung disease. Nutritional support ensured similar outcomes at term and 3 months corrected age.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatalogy
  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Preterm infants with chronic lung disease (CLD) often require interventions like dexamethasone treatment.
  • The impact of CLD and its treatment on infant body composition requires thorough investigation.
  • Accurate body composition assessment is crucial for monitoring growth and development in vulnerable infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effect of chronic lung disease (CLD) and dexamethasone treatment on body composition in preterm infants.
  • To compare anthropometric measurements with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for body composition assessment.
  • To determine if additional caloric intake during dexamethasone treatment influences body composition outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Study included 14 preterm infants with CLD treated with dexamethasone and 18 preterm infants without CLD.
  • Infants were monitored until 3 months corrected age.
  • Body composition was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and anthropometric measurements.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in bone mass, fat mass, lean body mass, or bone mineral density were observed between CLD and non-CLD groups at term or 3 months corrected age.
  • CLD infants received approximately 20 kcal/kg/day extra nutritional intake during dexamethasone treatment until term.
  • Anthropometric measurements correlated highly with DXA, but calculated fat mass was underestimated by 56.7% compared to DXA.

Conclusions:

  • Dexamethasone treatment for CLD in preterm infants, with supplemental nutrition, did not adversely affect body composition.
  • Body composition outcomes were comparable between preterm infants with and without CLD at term and 3 months corrected age.
  • While anthropometry is useful, DXA provides a more accurate assessment of fat mass in this population.
Abstract

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