ESPE Abstracts (2022) 95 P2-166

ESPE2022 Poster Category 2 Growth and Syndromes (44 abstracts)

Postnatal growth in Preterm infants as a function of their head size (head circumference Z score (HCZ) at birth: Comparison between those who were with a large head (HCZ <-2) to those with normal Head size for gestational age (HCZ > -2)

Fawzia Alyafei , Ashraf Soliman , Doaa AlYousef , Mona Shaat , Maya Itani , Noor Hamed , Shayma Ahmed & Hamdy Ali


Hamad General Hosptial, Doha, Qatar


Suboptimal head growth in utero and in early neonatal life may affect linear growth and weight gain during infancy. We studied linear growth and weight gain of 56 preterms (GA = 33.5 +/- 2.2 weeks) with birth weight >1.5 < 2.5 kg) for two years. They were classified at birth into two groups (group 1 with HCZ <-1) (relatively small head for GA) (35 +/- 2 weeks) and group 2 with HCZ > -1 (GA = 33 +/- 1.7 weeks)

Results: Preterm infants with birth HCZ <-1 increased their HCZ from -1.95 at birth to -1.5, -1.1, and -1.1 at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Their WAZ at 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months from -2.16 to -1.8, -1.4, and -1.1 respectively. They had a maximum catch-up in LAZ during the second 6 months of the first year. After an initial decrease in LAZ during the first 6 months of life from -1.5 to -1.7 they had a normal gain in length. Preterm infants with birth HCZ > -1 had a significant catch-up in WAZ at the end of the first year, WAZ was stable (normal weight gain) during the second year. LAZ increased progressively from -3.5 at birth to -1.6, -1.04, -0.75 and -0.25 at 6,12.18, and 24 months respectively.

birth 6 months
Gest age WTSD LSD WLZ WTSD LSD WLZ
HCSD <-1 Mean 34.77* -2.16* -1.54* -4.76 -1.82 -2.04 -0.72
N= 14 SD 1.70 0.81 0.62 2.12 1.06 1.45 1.53
HCSD >-1 Mean 32.89 -0.42 -3.53 -3.90 -1.23 -1.57 -0.34
N= 42 SD 1.72 1.05 1.28 1.14 1.25 1.05 1.40
  P-value <0.01 <0.000001 <0.000001 0.183 0.0961 0.138 0.485
12 months 18 months 24 months
WTSD LSD WLZ WTSD LSD WLZ WTSD LSD WLZ
-1.4* -1.06 -1.1* -1.36* -1.30 -0.99* -1.1 * -0.99* -0.50
1.02 1.67 1.08 1.02 1.34 1.22 1.07 1 1.27
-0.29 -1.04 0.11 -0.06 -0.75 0.40 -0.19 -0.25 0.00
1.32 1.17 1.12 1.28 1.31 1.10 1.33 1.1 1.38
0.0024 0.971 0.004 0.000614 0.15 0.0059 0.0146 0.02 0.327

Conclusion: At birth, preterm infants with smaller HCZ were significantly shorter and lighter compared to those with bigger HCZ. At the end of the first and second years of life, the group with larger HCZ at birth was still significantly taller and heavier compared to the group with smaller HCZ at birth.

Volume 95

60th Annual ESPE (ESPE 2022)

Rome, Italy
15 Sep 2022 - 17 Sep 2022

European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology 

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