title: Heterogeneous growth and mental development of intrauterine growth-retarded infants during the first 3 years of life.
abstract: Postnatal growth and development were studied in two groups of term infants with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and one group of infants with normal birth weight up to 3 years of age (total sample, 205 infants). Infants with IUGR were classified as having low ponderal index (IUGR-LPI) or adequate ponderal index (IUGR-API). At birth, the two groups of infants with IUGR had similar birth weight, but length and head circumference measurements were significantly different. Overall, the IUGR-API infants remained lighter and shorter and had smaller head circumferences up to 30 months of age. The IUGR-LPI infants experienced catch-up growth in weight during the first months, because of greater fat deposition. At 24 months of age, the IUGR-API infants scored below the others on mental items. At 3 years of age the IUGR-API infants had the lowest values on seven of eight developmental measures and on the composite score; at these two time periods, the group with normal birth weight scored the highest, and the IUGR-LPI infants obtained intermediate values. It is concluded that infants with IUGR tend to follow postnatal growth and developmental patterns that are associated with their physical characteristics at birth.
mesh_terms: D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002508:Cephalometry; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011379:Prognosis; D013997:Time Factors