RESEARCH ARTICLE Decreasing Birth Weight Is Associated with Adverse Metabolic Profile and Lower Stature in Childhood and Adolescence

Objective We aimed to evaluate the association of birth weight SDS with insulin resistance, blood pressure, and auxology in children and adolescents born 23–42 weeks of gestation. Methods We studied 143 singleton children and adolescents aged 9.3 ± 3.3 years (range 2.0–17.9 years). Clinical assessments included insulin resistance measured by HOMA2-IR, auxol-ogy, and blood pressure from sphygmomanometer measurements. Continuous associa-tions were examined, and stratified analyses carried out. For the latter, participants were divided into those of below-average birth weight (BABW, <0 SDS) and above-average birth weight (AABW,0 SDS). Results Irrespective of gestational age, lower birth weight SDS was associated with progressively greater HOMA2-IR (p<0.0001) and higher fasting insulin concentrations (p<0.0001). De-creasing birth weight SDS was associated with higher systolic (p = 0.011) and diastoli