Abstract: Objective To explore the expression and clinical significance of serum Nesfatin-1 in children with very low birth body mass.Methods 89 cases of children with very low body quality born in and after birth transferred into neonatal intensive care unit were selected from October 2020 to August 2024 in Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University as the study object. According to birth gestational age, they were divided into 3 groups, group A(gestational age <28 weeks, 10 cases), group B(gestational age 28-30 weeks, 20 cases), group C(gestational age >30 weeks, 59 cases), early serum Nesfatin-1 level changes of all children were detected and examinated.Results Children with gestational age <28 weeks had significantly higher serum Nesfatin-1 levels on days 1, 7, 14, 1 month and 3 months than that of gestational age 28 to 30 weeks and gestational age >30 weeks, the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). With increasing gestational age, serum Nesfatin-1 level showed a gradual decline. The expression level of serum Nesfatin-1 was highest at day 1 of birth for each gestational age period, but showed a decreasing trend during the first 7 days of life, following a gradual elevation, with the increasing age of birth after 14 days of life, falling trend in serum Nesfatin-1 levels, the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). The growth rate of body mass, body length and head circumference of children with gestational age <28 weeks were significantly lower than that of the gestational age of 28 to 30 weeks and the gestational age of >30 weeks, the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). High levels of serum Nesfatin-1 were negatively associated with the growth rate of neonatal body mass, body length and head circumference(r was -0.652, -0.503 and -0.589, respectively, P for all <0.05).Conclusion The serum Nesfatin-1 level changes dynamically in the early birth, and it has some correlation with the physical growth and development, which can be used clinically as the basis for the growth management of children with very low birth body quality.

Key words: very low birth mass, Nesfatin-1, catch-up growth, physical development