Incomplete catch-up growth in low birthweight Chinese infants in Hong Kong.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the early catch-up growth in length in Chinese low birthweight (< 2500 g) infants.


METHODS
The infants (n = 181) were delivered between 1988 and 1993 and followed up at Queen Mary and Tsan Yuk Hospitals, Hong Kong. One third had a birthweight below -2SDS, most of whom were term or close-to-term babies small-for-gestational-age (SGA). The remaining babies were appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) in birthweight, but frequently born prematurely.


RESULTS
The SGA group did not show a catch-up growth in height comparable to that reported on other recent studies, as 33-35% of the patients were still short at 6 and 12 months (7-12% for the AGA group). When comparing the postnatal mean growth curve of the SGA group with the mean curve of the AGA group there was little sign of catch-up growth.


CONCLUSIONS
The results showed that Hong Kong SGA infants have an incomplete catch-up growth and for successful intervention the causative mechanisms have to be identified.
Lam
B
B
Department of Paediatrics, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Karlberg
J
J
Low
L C
LC
Yeung
C Y
CY
D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000254:growth & development*; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors