Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026
07:56
Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
Small for gestational age: short stature and beyond
Paul Saenger1, Paul Czernichow, Ieuan Hughes
1Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10467, USA. PHSaenger@aol.com
Endocrine Reviews
|February 27, 2007
Summary
Children born small for gestational age (SGA) face long-term metabolic risks. Early catch-up growth may mitigate these risks, while growth hormone treatment appears safe for those not catching up.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Endocrinology
- Metabolic Health
Background:
- Up to 10% of neonates are born small for gestational age (SGA).
- SGA infants are at increased risk for later-life metabolic diseases, including insulin resistance, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
- Metabolic consequences are often observed in adults who experienced spontaneous catch-up growth in childhood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the long-term metabolic health of individuals born SGA.
- To investigate the impact of catch-up growth and growth hormone (GH) treatment on metabolic outcomes in SGA individuals.
- To evaluate current infant feeding practices in light of SGA-related metabolic risks.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on SGA, catch-up growth, and metabolic disease.
- Analysis of data on the effects of early catch-up growth strategies.
- Examination of recent findings on long-term GH treatment in SGA individuals.
Main Results:
- Early appropriate catch-up growth may mitigate some metabolic consequences of intrauterine growth restriction.
- Excessive weight gain should be avoided in SGA infants.
- Long-term GH treatment in SGA individuals who do not catch up does not appear to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus or metabolic syndrome in young adulthood.
Conclusions:
- Optimizing early growth in SGA infants is crucial for long-term metabolic health.
- Growth hormone therapy is a potentially safe option for SGA individuals with short stature who do not achieve catch-up growth.
- Further research into infant feeding practices for SGA infants is warranted.
Related Concept Videos
01:10Nature and Nurture
Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience, such as differences...
01:27Signs of Puberty
Puberty is a critical phase, typically beginning between the ages of 8 and 13 in girls and 9 and 14 in boys, though timing can vary based on genetics, environmental factors, and overall health. This period is characterized by the development of secondary sexual characteristics and the attainment of reproductive potential. Endocrine changes underpin puberty, with hormonal surges of Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) instigated by Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH)...
01:07Teratogenicity
The ability of a drug to produce structural deformations and functional abnormalities in the developing embryo or the fetus is called teratogenicity, and the drug producing this effect is known as a teratogen. Teratogenic effects include stillbirth, miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, and neurocognitive delay. A teratogen may affect the embryo at different stages of development, which is important in determining the type and extent of the damage. During blastocyst formation, the early...
01:18Polygenic Traits
When more than one gene is responsible for a given phenotype, the trait is considered polygenic. Human height is a polygenic trait. Studies have uncovered hundreds of loci that influence height, and there are believed to be many more. Due to the high number of genes involved, as well as environmental and nutritional factors, height varies significantly within a given population. The distribution of height forms a bell-shaped curve, with relatively few individuals in the population at the...
01:22Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
Type 2 diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance, arises when the insulin receptors on cells lose responsiveness to insulin, diminishing the cell's capacity to take up glucose, resulting in elevated blood glucose levels. To receive a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, a series of blood glucose tests are necessary to assess whether the blood glucose falls within normal parameters. If the result is out of the normal range, a patient may be diagnosed as prediabetic or diabetic, depending on the...
01:20Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia. The four categories of diabetes are type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, other specific types of diabetes, and gestational diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility, suggesting a...
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility, suggesting a...