Chronic Intestinal Failure During the Neonatal Period Related to Height at Five Years of Age.

AIM: To clarify if children with chronic intestinal failure during the neonatal period had a different height at 5 years of age compared to standardised Swedish growth charts.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study of children with chronic intestinal failure during the neonatal period in Gothenburg between 2004 and 2018. Inclusion criterion was parenteral nutrition > 60 days with onset within 3 months from term gestational age. For each child born before week 28 + 0, a control child was identified.

RESULTS

Of the 57 children included, 83% were shorter than the population average, and 12% had a height below -2 standard deviations (SD) at 5 years of age, according to the standard growth chart. The height Z-score (standard deviation score) was significantly lower than that of the reference population; median -1.1 SD (range -4.0-2.1). Children with chronic intestinal failure, born before week 28 + 0, were not significantly shorter than their matched controls.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority (88%) of children with chronic intestinal failure had a height growth within the normal reference range, even though they had a shorter mean height. These findings suggest that current treatment strategies support overall satisfactory growth outcomes, although further refinement may be required to promote optimal growth.