Serum lipid concentrations and growth characteristics in 12-year-old children born small for gestational age

According to Barker's hypothesis, children born small for gestational age ( SGA) are at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. The ai m of our study was to determine whether retarded fetal growth is associated with dyslipidemia in childhood and, if so, to find predictive factors in t he growth characteristics of SGA children. We studied the serum lipid conce ntrations of 55 SGA children and their 55 appropriate for, gestational age control subjects at the age of 12 y. Growth variables were recorded at birt h, 5 y, and 12 y of age. The study group consisted of all full-term SGA chi ldren born at our university hospital during a 22-mo period in 1984-1986. N early half of the SGA children (47.3%) were in the highest quartile for ser um total cholesterol of the appropriate for gestational age children (p = 0 .038). In multiple logistic regression analysis, poor catch-up growth in he ight (odds ratio, 13.8; 95% confidence interval, 2.0-97.5), female sex (odd s ratio, 8.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-48.9), and early stage of pubert y (odds ratio, 7.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-46.5) predicted high chole sterol children showed catch-up, growth of greater than or equal to 2 SD sc ores in height, and 21 (38.2%) SGA children showed catch-up growth of great er than or equal to 2 SD scores in weight from birth. At the age of 12 y, t he SGA children were still significantly shorter (p < 0.001) and Lighter (p < 0.05) than the appropriate for gestational age children, even though the ir pubertal development was similarly advanced. In conclusion, to be born S GA has long-term consequences for later growth and may already influence th e level of serum total cholesterol before the teens. SGA children with poor catch-up growth in height may be at the highest risk for hypercholesterole mia.