Early BCG vaccine to low-birth-weight infants and the effects on growth in the first year of life: a randomised controlled trial

BMC Pediatrics

Christine Stabell Benn¹  Peter Aaby³  Ivan Monterio³  Henrik Ravn¹  Andreas Andersen²  Sofie Biering-Sørensen³ 

[1] Odense Patient data Explorative Network, Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark/Odense University Hospital, Odense C, DK-5000, Denmark;Research Center for Vitamins & Vaccines (CVIVA), Bandim Health Project, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen S, DK-2300, Denmark;Projécto de Saúde Bandim, INDEPTH Network, Bissau, Codex 1004, Guinea-Bissau

关键词: Infant growth;    Low-birth-weight;    Non-specific effects of vaccines;    Vitamin A supplementation;    BCG;    Neonates;   

Others  :  1227558
DOI  :  10.1186/s12887-015-0452-2

 received in 2014-09-18, accepted in 2015-09-14,  发布年份 2015

【 摘 要 】

Background

Randomised trials have shown that early Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine reduces overall neonatal and infant mortality. However, no study has examined how BCG affects growth. We investigated the effect on infant growth of early BCG vaccine given to low-birth-weight (LBW) infants.

Methods

Two-thousand three hundred forty-three LBW infants were randomly allocated 1:1 to “early BCG” (intervention group) or “late BCG” (current practice). Furthermore, a subgroup (N = 1717) were included in a two-by-two randomised trial in which they were additionally randomised 1:1 to vitamin A supplementation (VAS) or placebo. Anthropometric measurements were obtained 2, 6, and 12 months after enrolment.

Results

Overall there was no effect of early BCG on growth in the first year of life. The effect of early BCG on weight and mid-upper-arm circumference at 2 months tended to be beneficial among girls but not among boys (interaction between “early BCG” and sex: weight p = 0.03 and MUAC p = 0.04). This beneficial effect among girls was particularly seen among the largest infants weighing 2.0 kg or more at inclusion.

Conclusion

Though BCG vaccination is not recommended to be given to LBW infants at birth in Guinea-Bissau, early BCG had no negative effect on infant growth and may have had a beneficial effect for girls.

Trial registration number

ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00146302).

【 授权许可】

   
2015 Biering-Sørensen et al.

【 图 表 】

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