Extremely and very preterm-born children <1500 g show different weight development in childhood compared to their peers

Aim To develop reference growth charts for body mass index (BMI), weight, length and head circumference in children born extremely preterm (EPT) or very preterm (VPT) with a birth weight <1500 g. Methods We analysed EPT and VPT children from the German Neonatal Network born between 2009 and 2013 without chronic diseases or medications influencing growth. These data of EPT and VPT datasets were split into a training dataset and a validation dataset. In the validation dataset, data from 385 EPT and 491 VPT children from birth to age 6 years were analysed to calculate growth charts. Results The percentiles of length of EPT and VPT children were comparable to German reference percentiles. The BMI peak in infancy was attenuated, and BMI was lower in all the EPT and VPT children analysed. From 2 years until 6 years of age, head circumference was lower in EPT and VPT boys and girls. Conclusion Deficits in height described in EPT cohorts born during the 1980 s and 1990 s were not seen in our cohort. However, EPT and VPT born children showed growth patterns that differed from national reference curves for BMI. The growth charts provided here can be used to judge the growth of EPT and VPT born children.

Automated summary

This study aimed to develop growth charts for extremely preterm (EPT) and very preterm (VPT) children with a birth weight <1500 g. The results showed that the height and head circumference percentiles were comparable to German reference values, but the BMI was lower. The provided growth charts are useful for evaluating the growth of EPT and VPT children.