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Hormonal regulation of postnatal growth in children born small for gestational age

S Cianfarani1, C Ladaki, C Geremia

  • 1Rina Balducci Centre of Paediatric Endocrinology, Department of Public Health and Cell Biology, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy. stefano.cianfarani@uniroma2.it

Hormone Research
|April 14, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Children born small for gestational age (SGA) often experience permanent short stature. The precise mechanisms driving or hindering catch-up growth in these children remain unclear, with no reliable predictive markers identified yet.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Endocrinology
  • Growth and Development

Background:

  • Children born small for gestational age (SGA) face a significant risk of permanent short stature, affecting ~10% into adulthood.
  • Current understanding of catch-up growth mechanisms in SGA infants is limited.
  • No validated anthropometric or endocrine markers predict postnatal catch-up growth in SGA children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the underlying mechanisms of catch-up growth in children born small for gestational age.
  • To identify potential predictors of successful postnatal catch-up growth.
  • To explore endocrine and anthropometric factors influencing growth outcomes in SGA individuals.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor axis, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and thyroid function in SGA children.
  • Analysis of anthropometric and endocrine data from SGA cohorts (details not provided in abstract).
  • Exploration of proposed intrauterine programming mechanisms affecting hypothalamic-pituitary function.

Main Results:

  • Subtle abnormalities in the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor axis, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and thyroid function have been observed in SGA children.
  • No reliable anthropometric or endocrine parameters have been identified to predict catch-up growth.
  • A potential mechanism involving intrauterine programming of hypothalamic-pituitary function is proposed.

Conclusions:

  • The mechanisms governing catch-up growth in children born small for gestational age are not fully understood.
  • Further research is needed to identify predictive markers for catch-up growth.
  • Intrauterine programming may play a role in the growth trajectory of SGA children.

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