[Postnatal growth of very low birth weight infants. II. Anthropometry at one year of age, a longitudinal study].

A prospective study up to one year of age, was done in 154 newborns with birth weight less than 1,501 g at a Metropolitan Hospital of Santiago, Chile, between 1983 and 1987. The patients were divided in groups A: 44 patients with birth weight less than 1,001 g; B: 68 patients with birth weights from 1,000 to 1,250 g and C: 48 patients with birth weight 1,251 to 1,500 g. At age one year weight of group A patients was 6,724 +/- 804 g; group B 7,782 +/- 927 g and group C 7,941 +/- 903 g. Weight and height of group A babies at one year of age were below 2 DS of the average weight and height for normal chilean babies of the same socioeconomic status and geographic area with 3,318 g mean birth weight. Group B and C were between 1 and 2 DS. Head circumference was within normal ranges in groups B and C patients, but in group A patients if was below 2 DS of the average.