Growth of very low birth weight (<1500 g) infants fed with formulas of different caloric content

The growth of 49 very low birth weight infants (VLBW, <1500 g) was studied retrospectively up to one year corrected age. The infants were classified into four groups according to the type of milk they received during the first weeks of life. Group A (n=15) infants were fed with milk formula for fullterms (67 Kcal/100 ml). The other 3 infant groups B (n=7), C (n=10) and D (n=17) received special preterm milk formula with 70 (B), 76 (C) and 81 (D) Kcal/100 ml of milk. Their gestational age ranged between 27 and 36 weeks and birth weight between 1000 and 1500 g. The intake of protein, fat and the caloric intake were compared among the four groups. The growth parameters evaluated were body weight (BW), crown-heel length (CHL) and head circumference (HC). The growth rate in BW was significantly less (p<0.01) in group A infants than in the other groups (B, C, D) during hospitalization. No significant differences were observed in CHL and HC growth rate among the four groups. The growth for corrected age of VLBW infants was compared to the growth of fullterms from the area of the study (Northwest Greece) during the first year of life. Group A infants remained under the 3rd centile for BW and CHL for the first 6 months of life. A certain amount of protein intake (115g) was required by all studied infants in order to reach 2 kg BW. Increased caloric intake significantly (p<0.01) shortened the duration of hospitalization in groups C and D compared with A, but had no effect on longterm growth.