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

ABSTRACT:

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 fir

SUBMITTER: Biering-Sorensen S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4587923 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature