Site menu:
Preemies Prone To Diabetes
From: "Pat Sonnenstuhl, ARNP, CNM, MS" cnmpat@comcast.net
Children who are born prematurely, regardless of their actual birth
weight, will have a 30% reduction in insulin sensitivity -- a pre-
diabetic condition that can lead to full-blown diabetes.
The finding is similar to that seen in children and adults who were
born at term but who had a low birth weight.
Dr. Paul L. Hofman from the University of Auckland in New Zealand,
stated that, "There is increasing evidence that this latter group
has a marked increased risk of insulin resistance-related diseases."
Disorders associated with insulin resistance, or reduced insulin
sensitivity, include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart
disease, stroke, and adult-onset obesity
"Therefore it is likely that if this reduced insulin sensitivity
tracks with age, then prematurely born infants will also be at risk
of these adult diseases," Hofman added.
Hofman and his co-investigators measured insulin sensitivity -- that
is, how efficiently insulin processes glucose -- in 72 healthy
children 4 to 10 years of age. Of the 50 who were born before 32
weeks, 38 had a birth weight appropriate for gestational age and 12
were small for gestational age. Of the 22 children born at term, 13
were small for gestational age.
Children born prematurely at any birth weight had an approximately
30 percent reduction in insulin sensitivity compared with children
of normal birth weight born at term.
At age 4 to 10 years, children born prematurely had a "compensatory
increase in acute insulin release" -- that is they produced more
insulin at meal times to overcome the insulin resistance.
While the reason why prematurity leads to reduced insulin
sensitivity is not known, this study supports the idea that "what
happens in fetal life and early childhood appears to permanently
modify your risks of later adult diseases," Hofman said.
"However, with ongoing exercise, avoidance of obesity and of
lifestyles that cause insulin resistance, these later problems can
be avoided," he emphasized. "By identifying these risks in children
it leaves a large window where interventions can be put in place to
prevent these complications."
New England Journal of Medicine, November 18, 2004.