An increasing body of evidence supports the view that both, an adverse intrauterine milieu and rapid postnatal weight gain in children born small-for-gestational-age (SGA) contribute towards the risk for the development of chronic diseases in adult life.

The purpose of a new study published in the Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism was to identify and summarize the published evidence on metabolic and cardiovascular risk, as well as risk of impaired cardiac function, intellectual capacity, quality of life, pubertal development and bone strength among children born SGA. This review also addressed whether growth hormone (GH) therapy—commonly prescribed to reduce the height deficit in children born SGA—increases or decreases these risks over time.

The findings revealed limited data in support of a modest beneficial effect of GH therapy on the adverse metabolic and cardiovascular risk observed in short children born SGA. Furthermore, evidence to support a positive effect of GH on bone strength and psychosocial outcomes was less convincing. Thus, further evaluation into the clinical relevance of any potential long-term benefits of GH therapy on metabolic and cardiovascular endpoints is warranted.

Source: Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2019 Dec 20. doi: 10.1515/jpem-2019-0098