Expanding diversity in developmental profiles of very-low-birth-weight infants during 6 years after birth

Very-low-birth-weight infants (VLBWIs) are at high risk for neurodevelopmental problems after age 3 years. We investigated the association between the developmental quotient (DQ) of VLBWIs and their growth profiles during 6 years after birth. Participants were VLBWIs born at Kokura Medical Center (the first cohort) and Kyushu University Hospital (the second cohort) between 2012 and 2017. Recorded charts were used to collect growth profiles and developmental quotients (DQ) of the participants until age 6 years. In the first cohort (n = 64), the DQ values at age 6 years were correlated with those at age 3 years. VLBWIs with DQ ≥ 85 at age 6 years had a higher body weight and height at age 3 years than those with DQ < 85. The second cohort (n = 69) validated these findings. A comparative analysis of the two cohorts revealed that the DQ of VLBWIs was dissociated from their growth profiles after age 3 years. Clustering analyses indicated that DQ values at age 3 years predicted better the prognosis of VLBWIs with DQ ≥ 85 at age 6 years than their growth profiles. This study demonstrates that VLBWIs gain divergent profiles in growth, development, and growth-and-development correlation during postnatal 6 years.