Chronic Intestinal Failure During the Neonatal Period Related to Height at Five Years of Age.

AIM: To clarify if children with chronic intestinal failure during the neonatal period had a different height at 5 years of age compared to standardised Swedish growth charts. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study of children with chronic intestinal failure during the neonatal period in Gothenburg between 2004 and 2018. Inclusion criterion was parenteral nutrition > 60 days with onset within 3 months from term gestational age. For each child born before week 28 + 0, a control child was identified. RESULTS: Of the 57 children included, 83% were shorter than the population average, and 12% had a height below -2 standard deviations (SD) at 5 years of age, according to the standard growth chart. The height Z-score (standard deviation score) was significantly lower than that of the reference population; median -1.1 SD (range -4.0-2.1). Children with chronic intestinal failure, born before week 28 + 0, were not significantly shorter than their matched controls. CONCLUSIONS: The majority (88%) of children with chronic intestinal failure had a height growth within the normal reference range, even though they had a shorter mean height. These findings suggest that current treatment strategies support overall satisfactory growth outcomes, although further refinement may be required to promote optimal growth.