Gestational age at birth and body size from infancy through adolescence: An individual participant data meta-analysis on 253,810 singletons in 16 birth cohort studies

by Johan L. Vinther, Tim Cadman, Demetris Avraam, Claus T. Ekstr øm, Thorkild I. A. Sørensen, Ahmed Elhakeem, Ana C. Santos, Angela Pinot de Moira, Barbara Heude, Carmen Iñiguez, Costanza Pizzi, Elinor Simons, Ellis Voerman, Eva Corpeleijn, Faryal Zariouh, Gilian Santorelli, Hazel M. Inskip, Henrique Barros, Jennie Carson, Jennifer R. Harris, Johanna L. Nader, Justiina Ronkainen, Katrine Strandberg-Larsen, Loreto Santa-Marina, Lucinda Calas, Luise Cederkvist, Maja Popovic, Marie-Aline Charles, Marieke Welten, Martine Vrijheid, Meghan Azad, Padmaja Subbarao, Paul Burton, Puishkumar J. Mandhane, Rae-Chi Huang, Rebecca C. Wilson, Sido Haakma, Sílvia Ferná ndez-Barrés, Stuart Turvey, Susana Santos, Suzanne C. Tough, Sylvain Sebert, Theo J. Moraes, Theodosia Salika, Vincent W. V. Jaddoe, Deborah A. Lawlor, Anne-Marie Nybo Andersen BackgroundPreterm birth is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality and is associated with adverse developmental and long-term health outcomes, including several cardiometabolic risk factors and outcomes. However, evidence about the association of preterm birth with later body size derives mainly from studies using birth weight as a proxy of prematurity rather than an actual length of gestation. We investigated the association of gestational age (GA) at birth with body size from infancy through adolescence. Methods and findingsWe conducted a two-stage individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis using data from 253,810 mother –ch...
Source: PLoS Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Source Type: research