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Related Experiment Videos

Growth in very preterm children: a longitudinal study.

Aimon Niklasson1, Eva Engstrom, Anna-Lena Hard

  • 1Göteborg Pediatric Growth Research Centre, Department of Pediatrics, The Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, S-416 85 Göteborg, Sweden. aimon.niklasson@vgregion.se

Pediatric Research
|August 22, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Very preterm children experience initial growth delays but achieve normal growth by age 7. Earlier gestational age at birth correlates with later catch-up growth in these children.

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Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Neonatology
  • Human Growth and Development

Background:

  • Long-term growth patterns in very preterm infants (<29 weeks gestational age) remain incompletely understood.
  • Gestational age at birth is a critical factor influencing infant development and long-term outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the longitudinal growth of very preterm children from birth to 7 years of age.
  • To analyze growth trajectories in relation to gestational age at birth.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study of 52 surviving very preterm children born between 1988-1991.
  • Longitudinal growth data collected from birth to 7 years of corrected age.

Main Results:

  • Most infants experienced initial weight decrease followed by catch-up, with peak weight gain at 36-40 weeks postmenstrual age.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Weight and length velocity increased between 6 months and 2 years, with further catch-up growth observed at 4-5 years.
  • By 7 years, all but two children reached normal population height ranges, with earlier gestational age linked to later catch-up.

    • Conclusions:

    • Very preterm infants exhibit initial growth retardation that takes 4-7 years to overcome.
    • Despite initial challenges, the cohort achieved normal height, weight, and weight-for-height by pre-puberty.
    • Gestational age is a significant determinant of the timing and extent of catch-up growth in extremely preterm infants.