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Infant weight gain and school-age blood pressure and cognition in former preterm infants

Mandy B Belfort1, Camilia R Martin, Vincent C Smith

  • 1Children's Hospital Boston, Division of Newborn Medicine, Hunnewell 437, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA. mandy.belfort@childrens.harvard.edu

Pediatrics
|May 19, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Rapid infant weight gain in preterm infants is linked to modest neurodevelopmental benefits and small increases in blood pressure (BP) by school age. This study analyzed weight gain, BP, and IQ in 911 low birth weight infants.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Rapid infant weight gain is a concern for neurodevelopment and blood pressure (BP).
  • Longitudinal data on the long-term effects of infant weight gain on school-age outcomes are limited.
  • Understanding these associations is crucial for optimizing infant care and health trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between infant weight gain and systolic blood pressure (SBP) at school age.
  • To determine the relationship between infant weight gain and intelligence quotient (IQ) at school age.
  • To evaluate these associations in a cohort of former preterm, low birth weight infants.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal study of 911 preterm, low birth weight infants from the Infant Health and Development Program.
  • Infant weight was assessed at term, 4, and 12 months corrected age; weight gain was modeled as the 12-month z score adjusted for term weight z score.
  • Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured at 6.5 years, and IQ (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third Edition) was assessed at 8 years.

Main Results:

  • Each z score increase in weight gain from term to 12 months was associated with a 0.7 mmHg higher SBP at 6.5 years.
  • Each z score increase in weight gain was also associated with a 1.9 points higher WISC-III total score at 8 years.
  • These associations remained significant after adjusting for multiple child and maternal factors.

Conclusions:

  • More rapid infant weight gain in the first year of life is associated with modest neurodevelopmental advantages in preterm infants.
  • The observed effects on blood pressure were small.
  • These findings suggest a complex relationship between early growth and later health and cognitive outcomes.
Abstract

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