It’s the proportionality of a newborn — a measure that includes both birthweight and length — that may best tell doctors whether a child is born with an increased risk for heart problems later in life, investigators report.
It’s the proportionality of a newborn — a measure that includes both birthweight and length — that may best tell doctors whether a child is born with an increased risk for heart problems later in life, investigators report.
Birthweight, while important, tells only part of the story of fetal growth, while the additional consideration of length, gives a more complete picture of both fetal growth and growth trajectory, says Dr. Brian Stansfield, neonatologist at the Medical College of Georgia and Children’s Hospital of Georgia at Augusta University.
Measures called ponderal index, or PI, as well as the more widely used body mass index, or BMI, which both account for height and weight, likely provide a more accurate indication of fetal growth and what’s ahead for the child, says Stansfield, corresponding author of the study the journal Early Human Development.
The new study indicates that a low PI or low BMI at birth, much like high cholesterol or high blood pressure, should be considered a risk that needs attention and intervention, says Stansfield who is also a research clinician in MCG’s Vascular Biology Center.
Read more at Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
Image: This is Dr. Brian Stansfield, neonatologist at the Medical College of Georgia and Children's Hospital of Georgia at Augusta University. (Credit: Phil Jones, Senior Photographer, Augusta University)
