Abstract
AIM: Prematurity is associated with features of metabolic syndrome in young adulthood. We investigated the body composition and blood pressure of children born preterm.
METHODS: A longitudinal, observational study was conducted with preterm infants who had a birth weight of
RESULTS: A total of 63 preterm infants were enrolled. At term equivalent age, growth and fat-free mass were lower in preterm infants than in term newborns, but fat mass was higher. At 5 years of age, children born preterm were still lighter and shorter than children born at term. When the results were analysed by gender, the fat-free mass index was lower in boys born preterm than in their peers (12.1 ± 1.1 versus 13.0 ± 1.0 kg/h(2) p <0.005), whereas no difference was detected among girls. Diastolic blood pressure was higher in children born preterm than in children born at term (61.14 ± 7.8 vs 56.69 ± 8.2 mmHg, p = 0.009).
CONCLUSION: Boys born preterm showed a relative lack of fat-free mass at school age compared to their peers.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | e119-e123 |
| Journal | Acta Paediatrica, International Journal of Paediatrics |
| Volume | 104 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 1 2015 |
Keywords
- Body composition
- Fat mass
- Fat-free mass
- Metabolic syndrome
- Preterm infants
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)