Pattern of head growth and nutritional status of microcephalic infants at early postnatal assessment in a low-income country.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the pattern of head growth and the early postnatal nutritional status of microcephalic infants in a low-income country.


METHODS
A cohort study in Lagos, Nigeria in which the head growth of full-term singletons within the first postnatal check-up at 6-8 weeks was evaluated using the latest World Health Organization (WHO)'s Child Growth Standards (WHO-CGS) for head circumference. Nutritional status of microcephalic infants at follow-up was also determined after adjustments for potential confounders.


RESULTS
Of the 452 infants (male: 227) enrolled, microcephalic infants were 32 (7.1%) at birth and 34 (7.5%) at follow-up. However, while 401 (88.7%) remained normocephalic and 15 (3.3%) remained microcephalic at follow-up, 19 (4.2%) became microcephalic and 17 (3.8%) became normocephalic. Microcephalic infants were significantly underweight (P < 0.001), stunted (P < 0.001) and wasted (P < 0.001) at follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
Regardless of their status at birth, microcephalic infants at 6-8 weeks are likely to be undernourished by all nutritional indices suggesting that head circumference may serve as a complementary or default screening tool for early detection of undernourished infants in resource-constrained settings.
Department of Community Health and Primary Care, Maternal and Child Health Unit, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria. boolusanya@aol.com
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Olusanya
D000328:Adult; D002508:Cephalometry; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008831:Microcephaly / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009549:Nigeria; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult