Growth of 519 small for gestational age infants during the first two years of life.

The physical growth of 519 small for gestational age infants (SGA), with a birth weight below the 10th percentile on our own growth curve, born in the region of University Central Hospital of Turku during the period June 1, 1981-May 31, 1982, was studied. The study population consists of 4,517 term, appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants, 488 term SGA infants, 320 preterm AGA infants and 31 preterm SGA infants. The degree of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) seemed to have an effect on physical growth in term SGA infants. Those term SGA infants with a low Ponderal Index (PI) (type II) were taller and had a larger head circumference at the age of 24 months than term SGA infants with adequate PI (type I). Among the preterm SGA infants the degree of IUGR seemed to have no effect on later growth. Smoking is still one of the main risk factors associated with poor intrauterine growth. In this study we also found that smoking has an effect on later growth; the children of smoking mothers were smaller than those of non-smoking mothers in the AGA group. Among the SGA infants the infants of non-smoking mothers were bigger than those of smoking mothers. This difference could be explained by other factors associated with SGA. We found that in spite of the catch-up growth during the first months, 26% of the severely SGA infants (birth weight below the 2.5th percentile) still had a weight below the 2.5th percentile at the age of 24 months.