Growth after nutritional deprivation

To investigate growth following a period of severe malnutrition in early life, we have studied longitudinally 2 groups of children and their mothers: the first one who had suffered protein energy malnutrition early in life and required treatment in a close nutritional recovery center, and a second (control group) from the same socioeconomic environment, but well nourished. Both groups were matched for sex and age, and were followed by the same professional team for 9 years. We found a significant difference in size at birth which favored the control group. Anthropometry in mothers of both groups followed the same trend as birth weight. In children, while there was a significant difference in height/age and weight/age ratios, no difference in weight/height ratios between both groups was noticed, and no variations in bone age. Growth velocity was significantly greater in control girls. These findings show that malnutrition before 2 years of age may produce long-term effects on growth in children of low socioeconomic status, especially if after treatment they are returned to the same unsatisfactory environmen

Growth after early severe malnutrition. Crecimiento después de desnutrición grave precoz.

In order to investigate growth following early severe malnutrition, two groups of 40 children and their mothers were studied, one of patients recovered from early protein energy malnutrition (PEM) at a closed center for nutritional recovery and another one of children under the same socioeconomic condition but who had never been malnourished. Both groups were matched for sex and age, and were followed by the same professional team for 9 years. A significant difference in mother's size (154.8 +/- 5.2 vs. 150 +/- 3.6 cm) and in patients size at birth (males 3,453.5 +/- 522.3 vs. 3,018.2 +/- 490.3 and females 3,328.4 +/- 563.4 vs. 2,654.6 +/- 579.6 g) was found in favour of the control group (p &lt; 0.01). There were significant differences in height for age (H/A) and weight for age (W/A) (p &lt; 0.001) but not in weight for height ratios between children for both groups (fig. 1 and 2). No differences were detected in bone age. Growth velocity was similar in both groups of boys (10.40 +/- 2.3 vs. 9.81 +/- 1.40 cm and 12.94 +/- 2.53 vs. 12.80 +/- 1.64 cm from 5 to 7 and 7 to 9 years of age respectively) but it was significantly greater in control girls (11.22 +/- 2.70 vs. 9.30 +/- 1.60 and 15.60 +/- 1.66 vs. 12.80 +/- 2.20 cm 5 to 7 and 7 to 9 years respectively, p < 0.01). These findings show that malnutrition before 2 years of age may produce long term effects on growth in children of low socioeconomic condition specially if, after treatment, they are turned back to the same unfavourable environmen