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Updated: Dec 11, 2025
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Size at birth, growth trajectory in early life, and cardiovascular and metabolic risks in early adulthood: EPICure
Yanyan Ni1, Joanne Beckmann2, John R Hurst3
1UCL EGA Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK yanyan.ni.13@ucl.ac.uk.
Insights
Extremely preterm birth size and early childhood weight gain are linked to cardiovascular and metabolic risks in young adults. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring growth trajectories for long-term health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neonatalogy and Perinatal Medicine
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Metabolic Health Research
Background:
- Extremely preterm (EP) birth (<26 weeks gestation) poses lifelong health challenges.
- Cardiovascular and metabolic risks in adulthood are influenced by early-life factors.
- Understanding the impact of birth size and growth is crucial for EP survivors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine associations between birth size and growth patterns in infancy and childhood.
- To determine the relationship between these early-life factors and cardiovascular/metabolic risk markers at age 19.
- To identify potential predictors of metabolic syndrome, BMI, and blood pressure in young EP adults.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal analysis of 129 extremely preterm survivors from the EPICure study (UK/Ireland, born 1995).
- Assessment of cardiovascular and metabolic risk determinants at 19 years: metabolic syndrome, BMI, and systolic blood pressure (SBP).
- Evaluation of birth weight for gestation and weight z-score changes from birth to 11 years.
Main Results:
- Metabolic syndrome affected 8.7% of EP participants at 19 years.
- Smaller birth size and greater weight gain from term to 2.5 years were associated with metabolic syndrome.
- Body mass index (BMI) and central SBP at 19 years correlated positively with growth between 2.5 and 6.0 years.
Conclusions:
- Birth size and early childhood weight catch-up (2.5-6.0 years) are linked to adult BMI and central SBP in extremely preterm survivors.
- These findings underscore the significance of early growth trajectories for long-term cardiovascular and metabolic health.
- Monitoring growth in EP survivors is essential for early identification and management of health risks.
Objective:
To investigate whether size at birth and growth trajectories in infancy and childhood are associated with determinants of cardiovascular and metabolic risks in young adults born extremely preterm (EP, <26 weeks of gestation).
Methods:
We used longitudinal data from the EPICure study of 129 EP survivors up to 19 years in the UK and Ireland in 1995. Determinants of cardiovascular and metabolic risks at 19 years included the presence of metabolic syndrome, body mass index (BMI) and systolic blood pressure (SBP). Predictors were birth weight for gestation and gain in weight z-scores in the following periods: birth-postmenstrual age of 40 weeks (term), infancy (term-2.5 years), early childhood (2.5-6.0 years) and late childhood (6-11 years).
Results:
Metabolic syndrome was present in 8.7% of EP participants at 19 years. Compared with subjects without metabolic syndrome, those with metabolic syndrome tended to have a smaller size at birth (difference in means: -0.55 SD, 95% CI -1.10 to 0.01, p=0.053) and a greater increase in weight z-scores from term to 2.5 years (difference in means: 1.00 SD, 95% CI -0.17 to 2.17, p=0.094). BMI at 19 years was positively related to growth from 2.5 to 6.0 years ( β : 1.03, 95% CI 0.31 to 1.75, p=0.006); an inverse association with birthweight z-scores was found in the lower socioeconomic status group ( β : -1.79, 95% CI -3.41 to -0.17, p=0.031). Central SBP was positively related to growth from 2.5 to 6.0 years ( β : 1.75, 95% CI 0.48 to 3.02, p=0.007).
Conclusion:
Size at EP birth and increased catch-up in weight from 2.5 to 6.0 years were associated with BMI and central SBP in early adulthood.
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