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Growth Velocity and Nutritional Status in Children Exposed to Zika Virus during Pregnancy from Amazonas Cohort, Brazil.

Lucíola de Fátima Albuquerque Almeida Peixoto CastroMarília Rosa Abtibol BernardinoCecilia Victoria Caraballo GuerraGeruza Alfaia de OliveiraBeatriz Caroline Soares ChavesCristina de Souza RodriguesAnny Beatriz Costa Antony de AndradeElijane de Fátima RedivoSalete Sara Alvarez FernandesRodrigo Haruo OtaniAlexandre Vilhena da Silva NetoAntonio Alcirley da Silva BalieiroCelso Rômulo Barbosa CabralDjane Baia-da-SilvaMarcia da Costa CastilhoCamila Helena Aguiar Bôtto de MenezesMaria das Graças Costa AlecrimMaria do Carmo LealSilvana Gomes BenzecryFlor Ernestina Martinez Espinosa
Published in: Viruses (2023)
The high incidence of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in the period of 2015-2016 in Brazil may have affected linear height growth velocity (GV) in children exposed in utero to ZIKV. This study describes the growth velocity and nutritional status based on the World Organization (WHO) standards of children exposed to ZIKV during pregnancy and followed up in a tertiary unit, a reference for tropical and infectious diseases in the Amazon. Seventy-one children born between March 2016 and June 2018 were monitored for anthropometric indices: z-score for body mass index (BMI/A); weight (W/A); height (H/A) and head circumference (HC/A); and growth velocity. The mean age at the last assessment was 21.1 months (SD ± 8.93). Four children had congenital microcephaly and severe neurological impairment. The other 67 were non-microcephalic children (60 normocephalic and 7 macrocephalic); of these; 24.2% (16 children) had neurological alterations, and 28.8% (19 children) had altered neuropsychomotor development. Seventeen (24.2%) children had inadequate GV (low growth velocity). The frequencies of low growth among microcephalic and non-microcephalic patients are 25% (1 of 4 children) and 23.9% (16 of 67 children); respectively. Most children had normal BMI/A values during follow-up. Microcephalic patients showed low H/A and HC/A throughout the follow-up, with a significant reduction in the HC/A z-score. Non-microcephalic individuals are within the regular ranges for H/A; HC/A; and W/A, except for the H/A score for boys. This study showed low growth velocity in children with and without microcephaly, highlighting the need for continuous evaluation of all children born to mothers exposed to ZIKV during pregnancy.
Keyphrases
  • zika virus
  • body mass index
  • young adults
  • physical activity
  • weight gain
  • risk factors
  • climate change
  • weight loss
  • body composition
  • optical coherence tomography
  • subarachnoid hemorrhage
  • drug induced
  • preterm infants