Growth pattern of preterm and IUGR babies in an urban slum of Kolkata, west Bengal, India

The present study was carried out to analyze the growth pattern of preterm and IUGR infants from birth up to nine months of age. A longitudinal study was conducted in an urban slum of Chetla, Kolkata, India. Study population comprised of 36 low birth weight babies, out of which 13 were preterms and rest 23 were IUGR babies. Different anthropometric parameters like weight, length, head and chest circumference was measured and compared between two groups. During the entire follow up period, all the mean anthropometric parameters of the preterms lagged behind their IUGR counterparts; in contrast the growth potential of the preterms was more as revealed by their increased mean increments in terms of weight, length, head and chest circumference. Regular growth monitoring should be an essential component of care of both preterm and IUGR babies with more focused health care services for IUGR babies, so as to detect growth faltering at the earliest