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Associations Between Hormonal Biomarkers and Preterm Infant Health and Development During the First 2 Years After

June Cho1, Lung-Chang Chien2, Diane Holditch-Davis3

  • 1School of Nursing, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA.

Biological Research for Nursing
|July 24, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Elevated testosterone in preterm infants may indicate risks for poor physical growth and development. Higher testosterone levels were linked to decreased body weight, length, and head circumference in very-low-birthweight infants.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal health
  • Endocrinology
  • Developmental pediatrics

Background:

  • Testosterone levels are explored for infant health and developmental issues, aligning with gender difference theories and the extreme male brain theory of autism.
  • Testosterone, a key androgen, is elevated in preterm infants, prompting investigation into its role in neonatal health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between hypothalamic pituitary hormones (testosterone and cortisol) and the physical growth, health, and development of very-low-birthweight (VLBW) infants.
  • To assess if testosterone and cortisol levels correlate with growth and developmental outcomes in VLBW infants.

Main Methods:

  • A comparative longitudinal study involving 40 VLBW infants.
  • Data collection included medical records, questionnaires, and infant development assessments at 6, 12, and 24 months.
  • Saliva samples were collected and hormones measured using enzyme-immunoassays.

Main Results:

  • A 1pg/ml increase in testosterone was associated with a decrease in body weight (-0.42%), length (-0.18%), and head circumference (-0.10%).
  • Cortisol levels showed no association with the measured outcomes.
  • Significant interactions between testosterone levels and time were observed concerning physical growth and socioemotional development.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated testosterone may serve as a biological risk factor for impaired infant growth and development.
  • Prenatal testosterone theories may aid in predicting health and developmental trajectories in VLBW infants.
  • Further research is needed to understand long-term socioemotional and behavioral outcomes beyond two years.
Abstract

Keywords:
cortisolgender differenceshormonal biomarkersinfant developmentinfant physical growthtestosteronevery-low-birthweight infants

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