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Weight variation by sex and nature of risk factors in high-risk infants: an evolutionary perspective

Youngmee Ahn1, Ralph M Garruto

  • 1Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, South Korea. aym@inha.ac.kr

Collegium Antropologicum
|January 26, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Infants with physiological risks show better intrauterine growth than those with pathological risks. Female infants with physiological risks exhibit more compatible growth, suggesting size isn't always better for prenatal development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Human Growth and Development
  • Prenatal and Postnatal Development

Background:

  • Understanding infant growth variations is crucial for identifying potential health risks.
  • Differentiating growth patterns based on the nature of high-risk factors (physiological vs. pathological) and sex is essential for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate sex-specific growth variations during intrauterine and early postnatal periods.
  • To compare growth patterns in infants with physiological versus pathological high-risk factors.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study involving 831 Korean infants.
  • Analysis of growth trajectories considering sex and type of high-risk factors.

Main Results:

  • Infants with physiological risks demonstrated more congruent intrauterine growth compared to those with pathological risks.
  • Female infants with physiological risks showed more compatible intrauterine and postnatal growth than males.
  • Male infants were heavier than female infants at equivalent gestational ages.

Conclusions:

  • Congruent intrauterine growth, particularly in infants with physiological risk, may facilitate early postnatal catch-up growth.
  • Female infants with physiological risks may possess an evolutionary advantage in early postnatal development over males.
  • The findings suggest that 'bigger' is not always 'better' for prenatal growth, emphasizing the importance of growth patterns over absolute size.

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