title: Relationship between insulin-like growth factor 1, leptin and ghrelin levels and catch-up growth in small for gestational age infants of 27-31 weeks during neonatal intensive care unit admission.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Poor post-natal growth is related to later morbidity and poor cognitive development in preterm infants. We investigated the relationship between plasma insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), leptin, active ghrelin levels and post-natal growth in preterm infants small for gestational age (SGA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma IGF-1, leptin and active ghrelin levels were measured at birth and at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks after birth in 42 very low birthweight (VLBW) infants (born between 27 and 31 weeks of gestation), including 14 SGA infants with extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR), 6 SGA infants without EUGR and 22 appropriate-for-gestational-age infants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At birth, IGF-1 levels in SGA infants without EUGR did not differ significantly from those in SGA infants with EUGR. However, IGF-1 levels in SGA infants without EUGR were as high as those observed in appropriate-for-gestational-age infants and were significantly different from those in SGA infants with EUGR at 4 and 8 weeks of age. Leptin and ghrelin levels did not differ significantly among the three groups at any time point.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IGF-1 is related to catch-up growth in SGA VLBW infants during neonatal intensive care unit admission; however, this does not appear to be the case for leptin and ghrelin. IGF-1 level monitoring may be useful for predicting EUGR in preterm VLBW infants.
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Natsuki
authors: N
authors: Ohkawa
authors: Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Hiromichi
authors: H
authors: Shoji
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Naho
authors: N
authors: Ikeda
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Hiroki
authors: H
authors: Suganuma
authors: Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Toshiaki
authors: T
authors: Shimizu
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000254:growth & development*; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014041:Tokyo
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D020738:Leptin; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I
keywords: catch-up growth; ghrelin; insulin-like growth factor 1; leptin; very low birthweight infants