title: Association between somatic growth trajectory and cognitive functioning in young children with sickle cell disease.
abstract: Children with sickle cell disease are at risk of cognitive deficits and somatic growth delays beginning in early childhood. We examined growth velocity from age 2 years (height and body mass index progression over time) and cognitive functioning in 46 children with sickle cell disease 4 to 8 years of age. Height-for-age velocity was not associated with cognitive outcomes. Higher body mass index velocity was associated with higher scores on global cognitive and visual-motor abilities but not processing resources or academic achievement. Body mass index progression over time may be a clinically useful indicator of neurocognitive risk in sickle cell disease, as it may reflect multiple sickle cell disease-related risk factors.
authors.affiliation: University of South Carolina, USA Duke University, USA Eve.puffer@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Eve S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Puffer
authors.affiliation: University of South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Schatz
authors.affiliation: University of South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Carla W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000150:complications*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: cognitive development; early childhood; growth velocity; neurocognitive risk; sickle cell disease