[A follow-up on first-year growth and development of 61 very low birth weight preterm infants].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the physical growth and psychomotor development of very low birth weight (VLBW) preterm infants in the first year after birth and related influencing factors.


METHODS
A total of 61 VLBW preterm infants received growth and development monitoring for 12 months. Z score was used to evaluate parameters for physical growth, and Denver Development Screen Test (DDST) was used for development screening.


RESULTS
Among the 61 VLBW preterm infants, 27 (44.3%) were small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants, and 34 (55.7%) were appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) infants. During the 1-year follow-up, the median weight-for-age Z-score (WAZ), height-for-age Z-score (HAZ), head circumference-for-age Z-score (HCZ), and weight-for-height Z score (WHZ) were >-1 SD in all age groups. The peaks of body mass index-for-age Z-score (BAZ) and WHZ appeared at 1 month of corrected age. At a corrected age of 40 weeks, the incidence rates of underweight, growth retardation, emaciation, microcephalus, overweight, and obesity were 15%, 16%, 11%, 13%, 20%, and 10%, respectively. Compared with those with a corrected age of 40 weeks, the infants with a corrected age of 6 months or 9-12 months had a significantly reduced incidence rate of overweight (3%) (P<0.05). Up to 1 year after birth, 15 infants (25%) had abnormal developmental quotient (DQ). The SGA group had a significantly higher incidence rate of abnormal DQ than the AGA group (P<0.05). SGA was the independent risk factor for retarded growth in the first year after birth in VLBW preterm infants.


CONCLUSIONS
VLBW preterm infants experience an obvious growth deviation within 3 months of corrected age. Within the first year after birth, the proportion of infants with abnormal DQ screened by DDST is high.
Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China. 506742295@qq.com.
Ying
Y
Deng
Fei
F
Xiong
Meng-Meng
MM
Wu
Fan
F
Yang
D001835:Body Weight; D002657:Child Development; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development*; D008297:Male