Study of some risk factors of small for gestational age in term babies

Abstract

Background: The most common definition of small for gestational age newborns refers to a birth weight below the 10th percentile for gestational age. Intrauterine growth retardation may be caused by maternal, placental, or fetal factors, however no underlying etiology can be identified in at least 40% of those infants. Objectives: To assess some of the risk factors of small for gestational age in full term neonates. Patients and methods: A case control study extended over seven months from 1st June 2012 to end of December 2012, which was performed in the delivery rooms and neonatal special care baby unit in AL-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital in Baghdad. Data was collected by direct interview of the mothers, including different variables of newborns gestational age, weight, sex, presence of congenital anomalies and multiple gestation. Mother's age, residency, parity, employment, smoking, family history of small for gestational age, history of still birth, antepartum hemorrhage, antenatal care visit, presence of urinary tract infection, chronic hypertension or gestational hypertension, diabetes mellitus and anemia were evaluated. In this study, 100 small for gestational age newborns and 100 appropriate for gestational age newborns were evaluated within the first day of life. Results: There was significant relationship between small for gestational age and mother's age ≤16year (p=0.004), employed mothers (p=0.039) and primipara (p=0.002). Deliveries of small for gestational age had a significant relationship with irregular antenatal care visit (p=0.0001), and with family history of small for gestational age (P=0.0001). Newborns of small for gestational age had a significant relationship with maternal history of antepartum hemorrhage (p=0.010), still birth (p=0.017), maternal history of urinary tract infection (P=0.036), maternal history of hypertension (p=0.003) and history of maternal anemia (p<0.001). Conclusions: There was a significant relationship between small for gestational age births and: maternal age, employment, antenatal care visit, parity, family history of small for gestational age, antepartum hemorrhage, still birth, maternal history of hypertension, urinary tract infection and anemia, but no significant relationship with the newborn's sex, residency and diabetes mellitus of mothers.