Nutritional supplementation and growth after hospital discharge in very low birthweight newborns: Randomized controlled trial / Suplementação nutricional e crescimento de recém-nascidos de muito baixo peso após alta hospitalar: Ensaio clínico randomizado

Abstract

Background Evidence is insufficient to show whether fortification has any effect on growth in preterm infants after discharge. Objective to verify whether VLBW preterm infants who are supplemented with multicomponent present greater anthropometric measurements than those not supplemented. Study Design Parallel randomized controlled trial. A computer-generated random number table was used to allocate the participants. Participants Preterm infants discharged from the NICU of a University Hospital from northeast, Brazil, weighing less than 1,500 g exclusively breastfed at discharge and followed up until they reached 6 months corrected gestational age. Intervention intervention group received Nestlé® PreNan® formula, fractionated in 2 g of powder, mixed with the mother's milk twice a day. Control group was exclusively breastfed. Follow-up was conducted until the infants reached 6 months corrected gestational age (CGA). Outcomes Growth of the anthropometrics parameters weight, head circumference (HC) and lenth with 6 months of corrected age. Mixed effects model for longitudinal data was used. Interaction according to sex was detected and ajusted. Results Weight gain was significantly higher in the intervention group. This effect was verified only for males (p = 0.001). No statistically significant association was observed between the intervention and the head circumference or length (p = 0.211; 0.597). The weaning rate at the end of follow-up was similar in both groups. Conclusions Breastmilk supplementation may improve the weight gain of very low birthweight preterm infants up to six months corrected gestational age. This effect differed by sex and was considered significant only for males.