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Growth patterns of large for gestational age children up to age 4 years

Inger F A Bocca-Tjeertes1, Jorien M Kerstjens, Sijmen A Reijneveld

  • 1Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics and.

Pediatrics
|February 26, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Children born large for gestational age (LGA) and preterm (PT) show distinct growth patterns, with accelerated weight gain and higher BMIs compared to other preterm or full-term infants. These patterns may increase metabolic risks.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Growth and Development
  • Neonatal Health
  • Metabolic Risk Factors

Background:

  • Children born large for gestational age (LGA) and preterm (PT) represent a unique population with potential long-term health implications.
  • Understanding their growth trajectories is crucial for identifying and mitigating associated health risks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the growth patterns of children born both large for gestational age (LGA) and preterm (PT).
  • To compare the growth of LGA PT children with LGA full-term (FT) and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) PT and FT children.

Main Methods:

  • A community-based cohort study included 1302 PT and 489 FT children born in 2002-2003.
  • Growth parameters including height, weight, head circumference, and Body Mass Index (BMI) were analyzed up to age 4 years.

Main Results:

  • LGA PT children exhibited balanced growth in infancy, with accelerated weight gain in later years, leading to BMIs comparable to LGA FT children.
  • At 4 years, LGA PT children had similar weight and height but significantly smaller head circumference compared to LGA FT counterparts.
  • LGA PT children showed significantly higher measures for weight, height, and head circumference compared to AGA PT children, and significantly higher BMI than both AGA PT and AGA FT children.

Conclusions:

  • Growth patterns of LGA PT children differ significantly from other PT or FT children.
  • Substantially greater weight gains and higher BMIs were observed in LGA PT children, potentially increasing their metabolic risks.
Abstract

Keywords:
appropriate for gestational agegrowthlarge for gestational agepreterm

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