Postnatal Growth in Preterms with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

Aim of study - to measure growth data for 69 preterms (39 females) with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (PT-BPD) The growth parameters of 69 BPD-PT were recorded for 16±3 months postnatally. 40 had mild, 20 had moderate and 9 had severe BPD. Ninety-six percent of infants were appropriate for gestational age (AGA). Only 4% preterms had birth weight SDS <-2 for gestational age (GA) and 4% had length SDS (LSDS) <-2. Eighty-eight percent of PT-BPD had normal or accelerated growth velocity (GV) during the 16±3 months period. At 8±2 months of uncorrected age 45% had LSDS <-2 and at 16±3 months of age 25% had LSDS <-2. At 8±2 months 13% had body mass index SDS (BMISDS) < -2 and at 16±3 months 5.8% had BMISDS < -2. At 8±2 months 52% had head circumference SDS (HCSDS2) <-2. At 16±3 months 27.5% had HCSDS <-2. Seventy-two per cent of PT-BPD had normal HCSDS compared to full terms (FT) infants at 16±3 months. The majority of preterm infants with BPD show normal or above normal (catch-up growth) linear growth velocity postnatally compared to FT infants. At 16±3 months of their life 75% had normal LSDS, 72.5% had normal HCSDS compared to FT infants. Severity of the BPD, and the presence of sepsis, NEC, PDA and PVH ominously affects postnatal somatic growth in these infants. Our results stress also the importance of corrected vs uncorrected age for the growth evaluation.