Very low birth weight and growth into adolescence

Objective: To compare the growth and pubertal development of very low-birth -weight (VLBW) children (birth weight <1500 g) and normal-birth-weight (NBW ) children (birth weight >1499 g) to adolescence to determine if. and at wh at age, VLBW children "catch up." Design: Inception cohort study: to age 14 years. Setting: Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. Patients: Eighty-six consecutive survivors with a birth weight less than 10 00 g, 120 consecutive survivors with a birth weight of 1000 to 1499 g, and 60 randomly selected NEW controls. Children with cerebral palsy at age 14 y ears were excluded. Main Outcome Measures: Weight, height, and head circumference measurements at birth and ages 2, 5, 8, and 14 years converted to z (SD) scores. Results: At age 14 years, pubertal development was similar in NEW and VLBW children. At ages 2, 5, 8, and 14 years, VLBW children were significantly s horter and lighter and had smaller head circumferences than NBW children. T he differences in height and weight between VLBW and NEW children were less apparent as SD scores improved in VLBW children over time. Within the VLBW group, compared with children with a birth weight of 1000 to 1499 g, those with a birth weight less than 1000 g had significantly lower weight z scor es earlier in childhood but not at age 14 years, significantly lower height a scores only at age 2 years, and significantly lower head circumference z scores throughout childhood. Conclusion: This group of VLBW children experienced late catch-up growth to age 14 years but remain smaller than their NEW peers.