ABSTRACT
Objective
To relate to the degree of prematurity and weight adequacy at birth with a lipid, glycemic, pressure, and anthropometric profile of adolescents born prematurely.
Methods
A cross-sectional study. Sample of 50 premature adolescents – gestational age less than 37 weeks – classified as follows regarding gestational age and birth weight: Adequate for Gestational Age (AGA), Small for Gestational Age (SGA), and Large for Gestational Age (LGA). Anthropometric measurements were evaluated: Blood Pressure (BP), glucose, Total Cholesterol (TC), Triglycerides (TG), collected by digital puncture. Analysis by descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact association test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) considering a 5% significance level.
Results
8% presented Metabolic Syndrome (MS), 70% were classified as AGA, 30% were overweight, 6% were born extremely preterm, and 14% very preterm. It showed a significant association between BP and the degree of prematurity (p=0.027) and a tendency for associating prematurity and TG (p=0.05).
Conclusion
and implications for practice: Pressure levels were influenced by the degree of prematurity; a tendency to increased TG was evidenced. Premature babies are more vulnerable to developing MS, pressure changes in adolescence, and possible changes in glycemic homeostasis due to TG alteration, indicating the need for follow-up in childhood and adolescence considering their higher risk for cardiovascular disease.
Keywords:
Premature Birth; Adolescent Health; Cardiovascular Diseases