ESPE2022 Poster Category 1 Growth and Syndromes (85 abstracts)
Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar
Introduction: Infants whose weight is > the 90th percentile for gestational age are classified as large for gestational age (LGA). Catch-up and catch-down growth can be defined as an increase or decrease in WAZ by > 0.67 SD respectively during the infantile period. It was suggested that in LGA rapid catch-up and/or no catch-down during infancy may be associated with the development of overweight (OW) and obesity (OB) during childhood.
Aim of the Study: We evaluated the prevalence of OW and OB in a cohort of infants (n = 87) born LGA (birth weight (wt) > 4 kg) from birth to age 3 years. We compared the prevalence of OW and OB in those who had significant catch down > 0.67 SD during infancy to those who did not have catch down.
Results: In LGA infants, the prevalence of obesity (WAZ > 2) increased markedly from 24% at the end of their first year to 39% and 42.5% at the end of the second and third years of life respectively. More than half of LGA children showed catch-down growth during infancy. Those with significant catch-down during infancy had a lower tendency to be OW and OB when they grow up. Compared to those without postnatal catch-down growth.
number | WLZ >2 <3 | WLZ >3 | Ob + OW | |
With Catch down >-0.67 WAZ at 6/12 | 45/87 | 11.4% | 0 | 11.4%* |
With Catch down >-0.67 WAZ at 1 year | 32/87 | 8.3%* | 0* | 8.3%** |
Without Catch down >-0.67 WAZ at 6/12 | 40/87 | 18.2% | 21.2% | 39% |
Without Catch down >-0.67 WAZ at 1 year | 56/87 | 22.5% | 20% | 42.5% |
P value catch down vs no catch down * < 0.05, ** <0.001 |
Conclusion: Infants born LGA had a significant tendency to be OW or OB during early childhood. Those who had caught down in WAZ during the first year had a lower prevalence of OW and OB at 2 years of age. (table 1)