Castagno M, Menegon V, Menegon A, et al. - Researchers compared infants born small for gestational age (SGA) vs a control group of infants born adequate for gestational age (AGA) regarding clinical and echographic markers of cardiovascular dysfunction. In this single-center cross-sectional case-control study, they included 20 SGA and 20 gestational age-matched AGA infants at 24 months of age. SGA children displayed lower stroke volume, left ventricle (LV) dimensions, and volume, and greater LV thickness as well as had impaired diastolic function with lower capacitance, and higher elastance. They observed a positive association of birth weight standard deviation score (SDS) with capacitance, and a negative association with E/E’ ratio and elastance and in SGA infants the End Diastolic Pressure Related Volume curve was shifted to the left compared to AGA. Infants born SGA vs AGA displayed significantly higher carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) and systemic vascular resistance while lower FMD; birth weight-SDS was directly correlated with FMD and inversely with cIMT. Finally, a lower cIMT was observed in correlation with a longer breastfeeding duration, even after correction for confounding factors. Findings thereby suggest an early and subtle cardiovascular dysfunction among infants born SGA vs AGA controls.