[Effect of prematurity on fat mass distribution and blood pressure at prepubertal age: a follow-up study].
OBJECTIVE
Preterm infants may develop altered adiposity, a risk factor for metabolic syndrome. The aim was to evaluate if body composition and blood pressure were altered in a cohort of children born preterm followed up to prepubertal age.


METHODS
Observational, longitudinal, explorative study. Forty children born preterm underwent growth and body composition assessment by an air displacement plethysmography system at term c.a. and at 5 years. BMI, skinfold thicknesses and blood pressure were further measured at 5 years. Inclusion criteria were birth weight <1500 g and gestational age <32 weeks. Exclusion criteria were congenital/chromosomal or surgical diseases. Forty-three healthy children born at term were the reference group.


RESULTS
At term c.a. preterm children were lighter (2455 +/- 484 g vs 3247 +/- 345 g; p<0.001) and shorter (45.6 +/- 3.4 cm vs 49.1 +/- 2.3 cm; p<0.001) than children born at term and their fat mass was higher (14.8% vs 8.6%; p=0.02). At 5 years of life, weight and height of children born preterm were lower than those of their counterpart (18.328 +/- 3.01 vs 20.302 +/- 3.01 g; p=0.008 and 109.7 +/- 6.5 vs 112.7 +/- 4.3 cm; p=0.02, respectively). No difference in percentage of fat mass was detected. Abdominal, subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds (mm) were larger in the preterm group (6.9 +/- 3.6 vs 5.3 +/- 2.8, p=0.002; 6.5 +/- 2.8 vs 5.0 +/- 1.6, p=0,01 and 11.8 +/- 4.3 vs 9.3 +/- 3.8, p=0,01, respectively). Diastolic pressure (mmHg) was higher in the preterm group (62.2 vs 57.5, p=0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
At prepubertal age children born preterm tend towards a greater truncal adiposity and increased values of diastolic pressure which might have adverse consequences for later health.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Department of Clinical Science and Comunity Health, Fondazione IRCCS "Ca' Granda" Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Via Commenda 12, 20122 Milan, Italy. piementesepasquina@libero.it
P
P
Piemontese
N
N
Liotto
F
F
Garbarino
D
D
Morniroli
F
F
Taroni
B
B
Bracco
E
E
Garavaglia
F
F
Mosca
D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000502:physiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male