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Postnatal growth in preterm infants and later health outcomes: a systematic review
Ken K Ong1, Kathy Kennedy2, Eurídice Castañeda-Gutiérrez3
1MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Insights
Postnatal growth in preterm infants is linked to neurocognitive development. Rapid growth may pose risks for metabolic diseases, but evidence requires further investigation.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal research
- Developmental pediatrics
- Growth and development
Background:
- Poor postnatal growth in preterm infants is associated with adverse neurocognitive outcomes.
- Rapid postnatal growth is hypothesized to increase the risk of metabolic diseases later in life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the evidence on the association between postnatal growth and neurocognitive outcomes in preterm infants.
- To examine the relationship between postnatal weight gain and the development of metabolic diseases and cardiovascular risk factors in preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of observational studies.
- Analysis of intervention studies with limited data.
Main Results:
- Consistent positive associations were found between postnatal weight or head growth and neurocognitive outcomes in observational studies.
- Limited evidence exists from intervention studies regarding neurocognitive outcomes.
- Evidence linking postnatal weight gain to later adiposity and cardiovascular disease risk factors in preterm infants was also limited.
Conclusions:
- Postnatal growth is positively associated with neurocognitive outcomes in preterm infants, based on observational data.
- Further research, particularly intervention studies, is needed to confirm these findings and explore potential risks.
- The link between postnatal weight gain and long-term metabolic and cardiovascular health in this population remains unclear.
Unlabelled:
In preterm infants, poor postnatal growth is associated with adverse neurocognitive outcomes; conversely, rapid postnatal growth is supposedly harmful for future development of metabolic diseases.
Conclusion:
In this systematic review, observational studies reported consistent positive associations between postnatal weight or head growth and neurocognitive outcomes; however, there was limited evidence from the few intervention studies. Evidence linking postnatal weight gain to later adiposity and other cardiovascular disease risk factors in preterm infants was also limited.
