[Follow-up study on physical and mental development in small-for-gestational age infants]

A follow-up study on physical and mental development was carried out in 35 small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and 35 appropriated-for-gestational age (AGA) infants. Excluded for congenital abnormality, intrauterine infection, and neonatal asphyxia SGA and AGA infants were similar in maternal education level, infant sex, illness, and feeding history. The results revealed that the body weight (8.09 +/- 0.73kg), height (69.55 +/- 2.49 cm), head circumference (43.27 +/- 1.67cm), Kaup index (16.17 +/- 1.05), and development quotient (96.37 +/- 5.76, Gesell diagnostic method) level at 40 weeks of age in SGA infants was lower than that in AGA infants (P < 0.001), and the development quotient (DQ) in SGA infants was especially low in language and receptive regions. Cord serum insulin level was significantly correlated with follow-up body weight, height, and DQ level (P < 0.01). This article proposed that infants with intrauterine growth retardation have a physical development delay at 40 weeks of age, and which could be predicted by measuring cord insulin level.