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Preterm children aged 0–2 years show lower growth rates and IGF-1 levels compared to full-term peers

Preterm children aged 0–2 years show lower growth rates and IGF-1 levels compared to full-term peers
Photo by Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash
Key Takeaway
Note lower growth rates and IGF-1 levels in preterm children aged 0–2 years compared to full-term peers.

This cohort study examined preterm children aged 0–2 years and compared them to full-term children. The primary outcomes included growth rates of length, weight, and head circumference, as well as expression levels of serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3. Follow-up duration was 0–2 years.

Growth rates of length and weight were significantly lower than those in full-term children, with a p-value less than 0.05. The growth rate of head circumference was also significantly lower than that in full-term children, with a p-value less than 0.05. Expression levels of serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were significantly lower than those in full-term children, with a p-value less than 0.05.

No specific adverse events, serious adverse events, discontinuations, or tolerability data were reported in the study. The study limitations were not reported. Funding or conflicts of interest were not reported. The practice relevance is that these findings establish scientific parameter models for promoting growth and development of preterm children. The evidence is observational and does not establish causality.

Study Details

Study typeCohort
EvidenceLevel 3
PublishedApr 2026
View Original Abstract ↓
ObjectiveThis study aimed to clarify biological and environmental factors contributing to the growth rates of preterm children.MethodsMultivariate linear regression analysis was used to identify the influence of biological and environmental factors on the reference values for the growth rates and the expression levels of serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in preterm children.ResultsThis study revealed that the growth rates of length and weight in preterm children were significantly lower than those in full-term children during the first 6 months of age, and the growth rate of head circumference in preterm children was significantly lower than that in full-term children during the first 3 months of age (p  0.05). Similarly, the expression levels of serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in preterm children were significantly lower than those in full-term children during the first 12 months of age (p  0.05). In addition, this study found that biological and environmental factors had a significant impact on the growth rates of preterm children.ConclusionThis study established scientific parameter models for promoting growth and development of preterm children.
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