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Updated: May 8, 2026

Culturing and Measuring Fetal and Newborn Murine Long Bones
Published on: April 26, 2019
Growth and bone mineralization in small-for-gestational-age preterm infants
Shigetaka Kitazawa1, Kazuo Itabashi, You Umeda
1Division of Neonatology, Children's Medical Center, Showa University Northern Yokohama Hospital, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
Background:
Preterm infants are at risk for metabolic bone disease and suboptimal growth. This study examined the hypothesis that, apart from prematurity, intrauterine growth status (expressed as gestational age-specific birthweight standard deviation score) influences bone mineralization and body composition in early infancy.
Methods:
In this retrospective study, the groups consisted of preterm small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants (n = 18; SGA group) and preterm appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) infants (n = 24; AGA group). Postnatal bone mineralization was measured at term-adjusted age (postmenstrual age, 37-42 weeks). Bone mineral content (BMC) and body composition were determined on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry of the whole body.
Results:
BMC and lean mass were significantly lower in the SGA group than in the AGA group at term-adjusted age (37-42 weeks postmenstrual age). Stepwise regression analysis identified weight at examination as the most significant factor, accounting for 51% of the variance in BMC.
Conclusion:
Bodyweight at term-adjusted age, rather than intrauterine growth, may affect postnatal bone mineralization in preterm low-birthweight infants. Therefore, promoting an increase in body size might increase postnatal bone mineralization in preterm SGA infants.
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