Catch-up growth in fetal malnourished term infants

AIM: The aim of this study is to show that the Clinical Assessment of Nutritional Status (CANS) score is an effective method to diagnose fetal malnutrition (FM) in term newborns and to monitor the catch-up growth of fetal malnourished newborns. METHODS: A group of infants have been screened at birth for fetal malnutrition status using the CANS score (malnutrition was defined by a CANS sore cut-off value). The study group (consisting of fetal malnourished and non-malnourished infants) has been monitored after birth by two follow-up exams at 3rd and 6th months. RESULTS: The study showed that the FM group, which is similar to non-FM group in terms of gender and gestational age but different in nutritional status (CANS, weight, length, head circumference) at birth, showed partial catch-up growth, more so in head circumference than in others (weight, length). CONCLUSION: The study used CANS score to determine malnutrition in term infants and showed that malnourished infants (as defined by this CANS score cut-off value) caught-up partly with respect to the non-malnourished group. Furthermore, our experience showed that CANS score is an easy and effective way to identify fetal malnourished infants, and the scores can be obtained readily by following the established clinical assessment steps.