Objective To investigate the physical growth characteristics of small for gestational age(SGA) premature infants within the first 24 months after birth, so as to provide relevant references for clinical management and growth intervention of premature SGA infants. Methods A prospective cohort study design was adopted. A total of 60 premature(gestational age <37 weeks) SGA infants born in Jianyang People′s Hospital between January 2020 and February 2022 and who underwent regular follow-up physical examinations at the hospital within 2 years after birth were selected as the study subjects. Full-term(gestational age 37 - 40 weeks) SGA infants and premature appropriate for gestational age(AGA) infants during the same period were selected as the control groups in a 1∶2 ratio. Their weight, length, and head circumference were measured at birth and at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of age(corrected age for premature infants), and the Z-score method was used to assess their growth level and growth rate. Results A total of 276 infants completed the follow-up study, including 56 in the premature SGA group, 109 in the full-term SGA group, and 111 in the premature AGA group. The weight-for-age Z-scores(WAZ), length-for-age Z-scores(LAZ), and head circumference-for-age Z-scores(HCZ) of the premature SGA group and the full-term SGA group at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months of age were significantly lower than those of the premature AGA group(P<0.05). The WAZ of the premature SGA group at 3 and 6 months of age were lower than those of the full-term SGA group, the LAZ of the premature SGA group at 6 months of age was lower than that of the full-term SGA group, and the HCZ of the premature SGA group at 3, 6 and 12 months of age were lower than those of the full-term SGA group, with statistically significant differences(P<0.05). The peak catch-up growth in weight for the premature SGA group, full-term SGA group, and premature AGA group occurred at 12, 18, and 3 months of age, respectively. The length catch-up growth was significant within the first 12 months of age in all three groups, followed by a gradual increase. The head circumference showed catch-up growth in both the premature SGA and premature AGA groups, with peak catch-up occurring at 6 months and 12 months of age, respectively. There were statistically significant differences in weight growth velocity among the three groups at 3 months of age(P<0.05). Conclusions The overall level of physical development in the early life(first 12 months of age) of SGA infants is lower than that of AGA infants. The physical growth of full-term SGA infants is better than that of premature SGA infants. The corrected age of 0 - 3 months may be a window period of rapid growth changes in premature SGA infants. Strengthening nutritional intervention and feeding guidance during this stage can effectively ensure the growth rate of premature SGA infants.
Key words
small for gestational age /
appropriate for gestational age /
preterm /
physical growth /
growth velocity
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