Relation between Postnatal Physical Growth and Mental Development in Small for Gestational Age Infants

In 80 small for gestational age (SGA) low birth weight infants (birth weight less than 2, 000 g), the relation between mental development and postnatal physical growth was investigated. At the corrected age of 24 months, infants were classified into two groups by the Enjoji Developmental Screening Test: one with normal development and the other with mental delay. There were 55 infants with normal development and 25 with mental delay. Both groups were compared in birth condition, morbidity in the neonatal period and postnatal physical growth. There was a significant relation between mental development and postnatal growth of height, but not with growth at birth, neonatal morbidity or other measurements. These results suggest that SGA infants with impaired postnatal height growth may be at increased risk for mental delay.