Weight variation by sex and nature of risk factors in high-risk infants: an evolutionary perspective.
A retrospective cohort study was conducted to explore growth variation during the intrauterine and early postnatal period by sex and nature of high-risk factors (i.e. physiological and pathological) in 831 Korean infants at a University hospital. The results showed that infants with a physiological risk showed a more congruent intrauterine growth pattern compared to those with a pathological risk. Particularly with a physiological risk, female infants experienced more compatible intrauterine and postnatal growth than males, although male infants were heavier than female infants at a given gestational age. In conclusion bigger may not necessarily be better for prenatal growth in humans. A more confluent intrauterine growth in infants with physiological risk can be beneficial for early postnatal catch-up growth. From an evolutionary perspective, female infants with a physiological risk may keep their advantageous edge over male infants during the early postnatal period although such an advantage may not be present with a pathological condition.
Ahn
Youngmee
Y
Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, South Korea. aym@inha.ac.kr
Garruto
Ralph M
RM
D005075:Biological Evolution; D001724:Birth Weight; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development; D005865:Gestational Age; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics