Components of the metabolic syndrome in early childhood in very-low-birth-weight infants and term small and appropriate for gestational age infants

Abstract

Background:Term small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and preterm born infants have an increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome components already in childhood. Our recent study in 2-y-old very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants was limited by the absence of a control group of term born children. We compared the metabolic syndrome components in early childhood in VLBW and term SGA infants to term appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants.Methods:We included 38 VLBW children and 82 term born children (64 AGA/18 SGA). HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, and insulin were measured in blood samples taken at 1 y (term children) and 2 y (all children) of (corrected) age.Results:At 2 y corrected age, VLBW children have lower BMI and higher glucose level compared to AGA children. SGA children have lower BMI at 1 and 2 y of age and a high prevalence of high triglyceride levels at 1 y of age compared to AGA children. Total body fat is a significant determinant of HDL cholesterol and triglycerides and birth weight is a significant determinant of glucose at 2 y corrected age.Conclusion:In early childhood, VLBW and term SGA children already have a high prevalence of some metabolic syndrome components compared to term AGA children.