Growth in Full- Term Small-for-Gestational-Age Infants: From Birth to Final Height (original) (raw)

Pediatric Research volume 38, pages 733–739 (1995)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 01 January 1996

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Intrauterine growth retardation, or being small for gestational age (SGA), has a life-long impact on a fetus's potential for development and survival. The incidence and relative risk of short stature in children born SGA were studied using a Swedish healthy full-term (37–43 wk of gestation) singleton birth cohort (n = 3650) from Göteborg, followed from birth to final height at about 18 y of age. Most infants, defined as SGA on the basis of a birth length less than –2 standard deviation scores (SDS) below the mean (SGAL infants), showed catch-up growth during the first 6 mo after birth, and by 1 y only 13.4% of the SGAL infants were below –2 SDS in height. This percentage decreased further during childhood to reach a value of 7.9% at 18 y of age. Although most SGAL infants have catch-up growth in early life, those who do not constitute 21% of short, prepubertal children. At 18 y of age, 22% of the total short population were short at birth (< – 2 SDS), whereas when birth weight was used to define SGA, only 14% of the 18-y-old short population were light at birth. SGAL infants were found to have a 7-fold higher risk for short final stature (relative risk, 7.1; 95% confidence interval, 3.7–13.6) in comparison with the non-SGAL group. In a multiple linear regression analysis, both birth length and mid-parental height were found to be significantly related to the magnitude of catch-up growth from birth to 18 y of age. Neither the length of gestation nor birth weight showed such a relationship. It is concluded that the vast majority (>86%) of "healthy‘’ full-term singleton SGAL infants will achieve catch-up in height during the first 6–12 mo of life, and that this is almost independent of whether birth weight or birth length is used to define SGA. Of the remaining, non-catch-up SGA infants, about 50% remain short in final height, and thus constitute a high risk group for persistent short stature.

Similar content being viewed by others

Article PDF

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Göteborg, Sweden
    J Karlberg
  2. Department of Pediatrics, International Pediatric Growth Research Centre, University of Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden
    K Albertsson-Wikland

Authors

  1. J Karlberg
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  2. K Albertsson-Wikland
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Karlberg, J., Albertsson-Wikland, K. Growth in Full- Term Small-for-Gestational-Age Infants: From Birth to Final Height.Pediatr Res 38, 733–739 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199511000-00017

Download citation

This article is cited by