Prevalence of metabolic syndrome-like at 2 years of corrected age in very low birth weight preterm infants and associated factors

Abstract

ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome‐like symptoms in a population of preterm infants with very low birth weight (<1500g) at 2 years of corrected age and identify the occurrence of associated risk factors. MethodsCross‐sectional study during a five‐year period, including preterm infants born with very low birth weight evaluated at 2 years of corrected age. Metabolic syndrome‐like symptoms was defined by the presence of three or more of these criteria: abdominal circumference≥90th percentile, fasting blood glucose≥100mg/dL, triglycerides≥110mg/dL, HDL cholesterol≤40mg/dL, and blood pressure≥90th percentile. ResultsA total of 214 preterm infants with birth weight<1500g were evaluated. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome‐like symptoms at 2 years of corrected age was 15.1%. Arterial hypertension was present in 57.5%, HDL≤40mg/dL in 29.2%, hypertriglyceridemia in 22.6%, and abdominal circumference above the 90th percentile in 18.8%. Only 3.7% had hyperglycemia. The presence of periventricular leukomalacia was an independent risk factor for arterial hypertension at this age (OR 2.34, 95% CI: 0.079–0.69, p=0.008). Overweight and obesity at 2 years of corrected age were independently associated with metabolic syndrome‐like symptoms (OR 2.75, 95% CI: 1.19–6.36, p=0.018). ConclusionMetabolic syndrome‐like symptoms can be observed in very low birth weight preterm infants as early as 2 years of corrected age. Overweight and early‐onset obesity are significant risk factors for metabolic syndrome‐like symptoms, which deserves appropriate intervention for this high‐risk population.