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Relationship between insulin‐like growth factor 1, leptin and ghrelin levels and catch‐up growth in small for gestational age infants of 27–31 weeks during neonatal intensive care unit admission
Author(s) -
Ohkawa Natsuki,
Shoji Hiromichi,
Ikeda Naho,
Suganuma Hiroki,
Shimizu Toshiaki
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/jpc.13307
Subject(s) - medicine , small for gestational age , gestational age , ghrelin , neonatal intensive care unit , leptin , appropriate for gestational age , pediatrics , gestation , obstetrics , endocrinology , pregnancy , hormone , obesity , genetics , biology
Aim Poor post‐natal growth is related to later morbidity and poor cognitive development in preterm infants. We investigated the relationship between plasma insulin‐like growth factor 1 ( IGF ‐1), leptin, active ghrelin levels and post‐natal growth in preterm infants small for gestational age ( SGA ). Methods Plasma IGF ‐1, leptin and active ghrelin levels were measured at birth and at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks after birth in 42 very low birthweight ( VLBW ) infants (born between 27 and 31 weeks of gestation), including 14 SGA infants with extrauterine growth restriction ( EUGR ), 6 SGA infants without EUGR and 22 appropriate‐for‐gestational‐age infants. Results At birth, IGF ‐1 levels in SGA infants without EUGR did not differ significantly from those in SGA infants with EUGR . However, IGF ‐1 levels in SGA infants without EUGR were as high as those observed in appropriate‐for‐gestational‐age infants and were significantly different from those in SGA infants with EUGR at 4 and 8 weeks of age. Leptin and ghrelin levels did not differ significantly among the three groups at any time point. Conclusion IGF ‐1 is related to catch‐up growth in SGA VLBW infants during neonatal intensive care unit admission; however, this does not appear to be the case for leptin and ghrelin. IGF ‐1 level monitoring may be useful for predicting EUGR in preterm VLBW infants.