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A comparison of the early growth of twins and singletons

J M H Buckler1, M Green

  • 1School of Medicine, Division of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Leeds, UK. the.greens@talk21.com

Annals of Human Biology
|June 19, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Twin growth differs from singletons. While twins have shorter birth lengths, their later height growth is comparable, but head circumference remains smaller. Singleton growth charts are not suitable for twins.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Growth Studies
  • Twin and Singleton Development
  • Human Gestation and Postnatal Growth

Background:

  • Twin birth weight is typically lower than singletons, with less known about birth length and postnatal growth.
  • The impact of shorter gestation in twins on their early development is often overlooked.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the growth trajectories of healthy twins and singletons during the first four years of life.
  • To establish growth references for twins considering gestational age.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized birth length data from English twins (1990-1997) to create reference values for gestational ages 33-40 weeks.
  • Tracked weight, length/height, and head circumference up to age 4 using questionnaires.
  • Included follow-up data for preterm twins to assess extrauterine growth.

Main Results:

  • Twins exhibited reduced birth length compared to singletons at similar gestational ages, more pronounced in boys.
  • Postnatal weight gain was faster in singletons, but twin length/height showed no deficit.
  • Twin head circumferences were consistently smaller than singletons throughout the study period.

Conclusions:

  • Normal twin early growth patterns significantly diverge from those of singletons.
  • Singleton growth references are inappropriate for accurately assessing twin development.
Abstract

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