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Infants with low rate of weight gain. I. A study of organic factors and growth patterns
Insights
A low rate of weight gain is a sensitive indicator of ill-health in infants, outperforming simple attained weight measurements. This finding is crucial for early detection and intervention in pediatric care.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Growth and Development
- Clinical Nutrition
Background:
- Assessing infant growth is critical for identifying potential health issues.
- Standard growth charts, like the Swedish growth chart, use standard deviation (S.D.) scores to track weight.
- A significant decrease in S.D. score may indicate underlying health problems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the clinical significance of a low rate of weight gain in infants.
- To compare the sensitivity of different growth variables in identifying ill-health.
- To determine the most effective growth metric for early detection of health issues in infants.
Main Methods:
- Investigated 81 infants with a weight deviation of at least one S.D. score decrease.
- Compared three growth variables: attained weight (S.D. score), change in S.D. score per year, and rate of weight gain (kg/year, S.D. score).
- Identified organic causes, such as intestinal disease, in 28 patients.
Main Results:
- Twenty-two of 28 infants (79%) with organic diseases exhibited a subnormal rate of weight gain.
- Only 12 infants attained subnormal weight for their age.
- Rate of weight gain proved to be the most sensitive growth variable for detecting ill-health.
Conclusions:
- The rate of weight gain is a superior indicator of infant ill-health compared to attained weight.
- Change in S.D. score of attained weight is a useful screening tool, especially when age is considered.
- Monitoring the rate of weight gain is essential for early identification of health concerns in infants.
Abstract:
To evaluate the clinical significance of low rate of weight gain 81 infants wer investigated with a deviation of weight corresponding to a decrease of at least one S.D.-score of weight attained in the current Swedish growth chart. In 28 patients this decrease was of organic origin, notably intestinal disease. Three different growth variables were compared: attained weight (transformed to S.D.-score), change in S.D.-score of attained weight per time unit (= rate of change of deviation in S.D.-score/year) and rate of weight gain in kg/year (transformed to S.D.-score). Twenty-two of 28 infants with organic diseases had a subnormal rate of weight gain whereas only 12 attained subnormal weight for age. The use of rate of weight gain is the most sensitive growth variable and is far better than the use of attained weight as an indicator of ill-health. Change in S.D.-score of attained weight for screening purposes give good agreement with rate of weight gain, provided that age is taken into account.