The Association between Children Born Small for Gestational Age and Short Stature

Abdulmoein Eid, Aisha Omar, Ma

Abstract

Background We sought to investigate the association between children born small for gestational age and short stature and to identify the related risk factors in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods This was a cross-sectional study that included 643 short-statured children who were patients at an ambulatory pediatric clinic at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from February 2015 to August 2015. Anthropometric measurements of the children were taken. Additionally, potential maternal and fetal risk factors were evaluated. Results The mean age of the 643 children was 8.7 years, and 21% were born small for gestational age; their mean height was 1.52 standard deviations below the mean. Additionally, 79% were born appropriate for gestational age, and their mean height was within 2 standard deviations of the mean. We confirmed a significant correlation between current height and birth weight (P = 0.0001), r= 0.205 positive weak correlation. Furthermore, of the children born small for gestational age, the following maternal complications were present during pregnancy: genital tract infections (23.3%), high blood pressure (16.1%), fetal distress (20.8%), and maternal malnutrition (28%). Conclusion The prevalence of short stature among children born small for gestational age was higher than that in children born appropriate for gestational age. Furthermore, we determined a significant correlation between short stature and being born small for gestational age.