Head circumference and long-term outcome in small-for-gestational age infants.
OBJECTIVE
To assess risk factors for the growth and development of small-for-gestational age (SGA) infants whose birth weight was less than the 10(th) percentile.


METHODS
SGA infants who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit from 1995 to 1998 were enrolled in the study. Fifty-six SGA infants, having no chromosomal abnormalities, inherited diseases, TORCH infections, major anomaly and/or multiple birth, were divided into 34 asymmetrical and 22 symmetrical SGA infants by >or= or <10(th) percentile head circumference (HC) at birth. The physical growth including HC, and the developmental quotient (DQ) and intelligent quotient (IQ) scores were evaluated up to 6 years of age.


RESULTS
Symmetrical SGA infants had lower levels of weight, height and HC, but not of total DQ at 3 years or IQ scores at 6 years of age than asymmetrical SGA infants. The 21 SGA infants who had a HC less than the 10(th) percentile at 1 year of age (non-catch-up group) showed lower total DQ (mean 96 vs. 105) and IQ (82 vs. 102) scores than 34 SGA infants who had not (catch-up group).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggested that psychomotor development of SGA infants depended on the HC at 1 year of age rather than that at birth.
Ochiai
Masayuki
M
Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. ochimasa@pediatr.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Nakayama
Hideki
H
Sato
Kazuo
K
Iida
Kouichi
K
Hikino
Shunji
S
Ohga
Shouichi
S
Tsukimori
Kiyomi
K
Wake
Norio
N
Masumoto
Kouji
K
Taguchi
Tomoaki
T
Hara
Toshiro
T
D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000502:physiology*; D007360:Intelligence / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*