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Comparative Analysis of the GH/IGF-1 Axis during the First Sixth Months in Children with Low Birth Weight
Luciana Pessoa Maciel Diniz1,2, Taisy Cinthia Ferro Cavalcante2, Amanda Alves Marcelino da Silva2
1Colegiado de Enfermagem Campus Petrolina, Universidade de Pernambuco, Petrolina 56328-900, PE, Brazil.
Insights
Children born with low birth weight showed altered growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) axis markers. These alterations persisted, potentially increasing metabolic disease risk later in life.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Neonatal Growth and Development
- Metabolic Health
Background:
- The growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) axis is crucial for infant growth.
- Early life factors, including birth weight, can influence hormonal development.
- Understanding early-life hormonal alterations is key to predicting later health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between the GH/IGF-1 axis and weight in infants from the São Francisco region.
- To analyze how birth weight status impacts GH/IGF-1 axis development in the first six months of life.
Main Methods:
- An analytical cohort study involving 30 infants, divided into low birth weight (LBW) and normal birth weight (NBW) groups.
- Measurements of birth weight and GH/IGF-1 axis status were taken at birth, 3 months, and 6 months.
- Follow-up assessed weight gain and persistent alterations in the GH/IGF-1 curves.
Main Results:
- Infants born with LBW exhibited greater weight gain over the 6-month period compared to NBW infants.
- A significant proportion of LBW infants presented with altered GH/IGF-1 curves at birth (p=0.002), which persisted at 3 (p=0.027) and 6 months.
- The persistence of GH/IGF-1 alterations was more pronounced in the LBW group.
Conclusions:
- Alterations in the GH/IGF-1 axis, characterized by increased GH without a proportional IGF-1 rise, were significant in LBW infants.
- LBW infants showed greater adiposity, suggesting a potential increased risk for metabolic diseases.
- Early identification of GH/IGF-1 axis disturbances in LBW infants is crucial for monitoring metabolic health.
Objective:
To analyze the relation between alterations in the growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) axis during the first 6 months of life and weight in children born in the lower-middle São Francisco region.
Methods:
This is an analytical cohort and exploratory. Thirty children, were formed two groups, one of low birth weight children (LBW, n = 15) and another of normal weight (NBW = 15) were initially identified in a hospital and reapproached at 3 and 6 months of age. Birth weight and alterations in GH/IGF-1 curves were measured at birth and the third and sixth months of life.
Results:
Weight gain during the 6 months of follow-up in newborns with a low birth weight was greater compared to newborns with a normal birth weight. All children who were born with a low birth weight had an altered GH/IGF-1 curve at birth (p = 0.002). Most newborns with a low birth weight maintained the alteration in the GH/IGF-1 curve at the third month of life (p = 0.027). Regarding the GH/IGF-1 curve at the sixth month, alteration persisted in greater proportion among children with a low birth weight.
Conclusions:
Alterations in insulin resistance markers, demonstrated by increased GH without a proportional increase in IGF-1, were observed to be significant in children with a low birth weight with greater adiposity in this group which may increase the risk of metabolic diseases in later life.
