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Eligibility for growth hormone therapy in children born small for gestational age is substantially lower than

Eran Lavi1, Asher Shafrir1, Rana Halloun1

  • 1Division of pediatric endocrinology, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.

Clinical Endocrinology
|April 22, 2021
PubMed

Insights

The incidence of infants born small for gestational age (SGA) is lower than expected, and most SGA infants achieve adequate catch-up growth (ACUG). These findings may influence growth hormone therapy decisions for SGA newborns.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Endocrinology
  • Neonatology

Background:

  • Growth hormone therapy is prescribed for children born small for gestational age (SGA) who do not achieve adequate catch-up growth (ACUG).
  • Accurate data on SGA incidence and ACUG rates are crucial for appropriate clinical management and resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the actual incidence of infants born small for gestational age (SGA).
  • To evaluate the prevalence of adequate catch-up growth (ACUG) in SGA infants.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of birth weight data from a newborn registry over four years.
  • SGA defined by WHO and Israeli criteria; ACUG assessed by height standard deviations (SDS) at 4-8 years.
  • Follow-up growth data collected from health centers and pediatric clinics.

Main Results:

  • Only 1.2% of newborns were SGA, significantly lower than expected.
  • Over 90% of SGA infants achieved ACUG (height > -2.5 SDS).
  • Term infants showed higher ACUG rates than preterm infants (97.2% vs. 86.8%).

Conclusions:

  • The actual incidence of SGA and the prevalence of ACUG are lower than previously reported.
  • Findings may impact health cost planning and growth hormone treatment needs for SGA infants.
  • This study provides valuable epidemiological data for pediatric growth management.
Abstract

Keywords:
SGAWHO growth curvescatch-up growthgrowth hormoneprematurity

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