Children born with extremely low birth weight often present delayed growth in the first years of their lives: they remain shorter and weigh less than their peers. Current reports published worldwide state that later in life these children are at an increased risk of cardiac and vascular diseases, diabetes and obesity. Abnormal distribution and the excess of fat tissue predispose them to develop the metabolic syndrome. THE AIM of the study was to evaluate the somatic development of seven-year-old children born with birth-weight ≤1000 g (ELBW) in the Malopolska voivodship and to estimate the content and distribution of fat tissue. Moreover, the risk factors of disturbed somatic development were evaluated.
Materials and methods: Two hundred and four live newborns with birth weight ≤1000 g were born in the Malopolska voivodship between 1.09.2002 and 31.08.2004. One hundred and fifteen of these children (56%) died in early infancy. The study included 81 children in the 7th year of life out of the 89 surviving ones. Their mean gestational age at birth was 27.3 weeks. (SD: 2.1 weeks) and their mean birth-weight was 840 g (SD: 130 g). All the children underwent anthropometric measurements and the thickness of the skin fold over the triceps was measured. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated and the body composition was assessed by multifrequency bioimpedance. The control group consisted of 39 children born at term chosen randomly from the general population and matched with regard to age and sex.
Results: The ELBW children in the 7th year of life were shorter (z-score: -1.06±1.4 p<0.001), had lower body mass (z-score: -0.57±0.9; p=0.01), smaller head circumference (z-score: -1.2±1.3; p<0.001), lower BMI (z-score: -0.99±1.6; p<0.001) as compared to their peers. Fat tissue mass was lower in the ELBW group than in the control group (11% vs 16%; p<0.01). The most retarded somatic development was observed in the group of children suffering from cerebral palsy.
Conclusions: 1. Children born with ELBW, at 7 years of life, present significantly retarded somatic development as compared with their full-term peers. 2. The most important risk factor of somatic development disturbances is cerebral palsy. 3. Children born with low birth weight and ELBW, need long term follow up.