Bone mineral content and growth in very-low-birth-weight premature infants. Does bronchopulmonary dysplasia make a difference?
F. R. Greer and A. McCormick
It is reported that very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants with the
complication of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) are at high risk for
metabolic bone disease and growth retardation. In a prospective study, we
compared growth and bone mineral content (BMC) during the first year of
life in 16 VLBW infants with BPD and 16 VLBW control infants. The BPD and
control groups were matched for gestational age (28.2 +/- 0.8 vs 28.4 +/-
1.2 weeks) and birth weight (986 +/- 158 vs 1037 +/- 147 g). Calcium,
phosphorus, vitamin D, and energy intakes did not differ during the initial
60-day period of hospitalization. At 1 year of age, there were no
significant differences in BMC (104.4 +/- 21.4 vs 109.7 +/- 19.2 mg/cm),
weight (7440 +/- 1090 vs 7420 +/- 826 g), length (66.9 +/- 3.4 vs 67.7 +/-
3.0 cm), or head circumference (45.1 +/- 1.5 vs 44.0 +/- 1.0 cm) between
BPD and control groups. In both groups bone mineralization was delayed
compared to the intrauterine curve for BMC. Growth was also delayed
compared to the growth curves of Babson for premature infants during the
first year of life. We conclude that for our study population, factors
other than the presence or absence of BPD are responsible for marked delays
in bone mineralization and growth in VLBW premature infants.
