Final height and cardiometabolic outcomes in young adults with very low birth weight (<1500 g).
OBJECTIVE
Individuals with very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 g) are known to be predisposed to both short final height and cardiometabolic disorders. However, associations between final height and cardiometabolic outcomes including glucose metabolism in VLBW individuals in young adulthood are not fully investigated.


METHODS
We investigated glucose metabolism and other cardiometabolic outcomes such as lipid profiles, blood pressure, renal function, urinary albumin, and thyroid function in young adults with VLBW born between 1980 and 1990. Short stature was defined as a final height <10th percentile. Glucose intolerance [diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and impaired fasting glucose (IFG)] was determined using 75-g oral glucose tolerance tests. Associations between final height and cardiometabolic outcomes were examined using logistic or multiple linear regression.


RESULTS
A total of 628 VLBW individuals were screened and 111 young adults with VLBW (19-30 years) participated in the study. Of the participants, 40 subjects (36%) had short stature with a final height <10th percentile. Eight subjects (7.2%) had glucose intolerance (1, diabetes; 6, IGT; 1, IFG). Short stature was correlated with glucose intolerance (odds ratio 11.1; 95% CI 1.92, 99.7; P = 0.006). Final height was inversely associated with the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) of insulin resistance, HOMA-β, insulinogenic index, and total/LDL-cholesterol. The associations of final height with insulin sensitivity and lipid profiles remained after adjustment for target height and age at puberty onset.


CONCLUSIONS
Shorter final height was associated with less favorable metabolic profiles in young adults with VLBW, and may be partly mediated by reduced insulin sensitivity. These associations were independent of target height or age at puberty onset.
Department of Internal Medicine II, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan; Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Seirei Hamamatsu General Hospital, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Ryosuke
R
Sato
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Masato
M
Maekawa
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Seirei Hamamatsu General Hospital, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Rieko
R
Genma
Department of Neonatology, Seirei Hamamatsu General Hospital, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Kenji
K
Shirai
Department of Neonatology, Seirei Hamamatsu General Hospital, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Shigeru
S
Ohki
Department of Internal Medicine II, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Hiroshi
H
Morita
Department of Internal Medicine II, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Takafumi
T
Suda
Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Hiroshi
H
Watanabe
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000502:physiology; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D011627:Puberty / Q000502:physiology; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D055815:Young Adult