title: Abdominal fat partitioning and high-molecular-weight adiponectin in short children born small for gestational age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Children born small for gestational age (SGA) tend to become hyperinsulinemic and viscerally adipose and to have low levels of circulating high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin upon completion of catch-up growth. We studied whether the same applies to SGA children, who failed to develop spontaneous catch-up growth.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted at a university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients included 24 short SGA children (11 girls, 13 boys; mean age 7.5 yr, height -3.0 SD) as compared with appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) children (n = 32) and catch-up SGA children (n = 32) of similar height, weight, and body mass index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We measured fasting serum glucose, insulin, IGF-I, and HMW adiponectin; body composition by absorptiometry; and abdominal fat partitioning by magnetic resonance imaging.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Short SGA children were highly sensitive to insulin (P < 0.001 vs. AGA; P < 0.0001 vs. catch-up SGA), had low IGF-I levels, and had high-normal levels of HMW adiponectin (mean 14.0 vs. 7.4 mg/liter in catch-up SGA; P < 0.001). In the abdominal region, short SGA children had a normal amount of visceral fat (mean 17 vs. 18 cm(2) in AGA), but their sc fat was strikingly reduced (mean 18 vs. 29 cm(2) in AGA; P < 0.0001); this combination resulted in a markedly elevated ratio of visceral over sc fat (P < 0.0001 vs. AGA). The effects of GH therapy on these features of short SGA children remain to be studied.
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology Unit, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, University of Barcelona, Passeig de Sant Joan de Déu, 2, 08950 Esplugues, Barcelona, Spain. libanez@hsjdbcn.org
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ibáñez
authors.forename: Abel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López-Bermejo
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: Maria Victoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Marcos
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Casano
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de Zegher
mesh_terms: D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism*; D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood; D001823:Body Composition; D001827:Body Height; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000378:metabolism*; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000172:deficiency / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008970:Molecular Weight
chemical_list: C499918:ADIPOQ protein, human; D052242:Adiponectin; D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I