Auxological Evaluation and Determinants of Growth Failure at the Time of Adoption in Eastern European Adoptees

Abstract

AIM: To identify factors contributing to growth failure in international adoptees (IAs) from Eastern Europe. STUDY DESIGN: 138 IAs from Eastern Europe, 6-59 months old, were evaluated within 3 weeks of US arrival. Complete history, anthropometry, and serum for growth factors were obtained. Facial features were examined for risk of prenatal alcohol exposure. RESULTS: Upon arrival, mean height (-1.23 +/- 1.07), weight (-1.43 +/- 1.29), and occipitofrontal circumference (OFC) (-0.63 +/- 1.10) SDS in IAs were significantly less than population means for US children. In a multiple regression model, age, low birth weight (LBW), insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3, and high risk for fetal alcohol syndrome were independent predictors of height SDS. LBW also independently predicted lower weight SDS and smaller OFC SDS. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend that IAs undergo screening upon US arrival to identify risk factors for poor growth, particularly evidence of LBW and fetal alcohol exposure. Catch-up growth should be monitored in all children following adoption.

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