Body weight, static and dynamic skinfold thickness in small premature infants during the first month of life.
The growth of prematurely born infants is different from the growth of fetuses of the same age remaining in utero. This is in part due to changes in body composition that occur after birth. In search for a practical and reliable method to assess the growth of small prematures, we analyzed data obtained in two anthropometric studies that included 180 premature infants of 750-1750 g weight at birth, and we studied the relationships between weight, static skinfold thickness (SSFT) and dynamic skinfold thickness (delta SFT, i.e. the percentage of change in skinfold thickness between 15 and 60 s after application of the Harpenden caliper). The results show that the SSFT increases steadily after birth in spite of a significant decrease in weight and delta SFT. Whether it contains fat or not, the fold of the skin is increasing in thickness at a time when by weight alone, one would have considered that there was no growth. The nutritional implication of this finding remains to be studied. Serial correlations of measures obtained at each period indicate that weight and SSFT have a good correlation to same measures in subsequent weeks (P less than 0.01). delta SFT, however, showed only a weak correlation (P = 0.05). The delta SFT follows the general pattern of known changes in total body water, but it is not accurate enough to determine changes in individual infants; further studies are thus needed to find a practical method to evaluate changes of body composition and its relevance in the measurement of growth of premature infants.
D001823:Body Composition; D001834:Body Water; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D012885:Skinfold Thickness