From the Department of Pediatrics, Vali-E-Asr Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, I.R. Iran , F_nili2000@yahoo.com
Abstract: (6618 Views)
Rohrer's ponderal index in newborns (birth weight * 100/height3) has been
used as an indicator of fetal growth status, especially to assess asymmetrical intrauterine
growth retardation. Low ponderal index or disproportionate intrauterine
growth retardation has higher neonatal morbidity and there are some specific
guidelines in intrauterine growth retarded infants to control some of their prevalent
complications like hypoglycemia.
As there are no specific guidelines to control and screen some possible morbidities
in babies with more than 2500 gram weight, we decided to determine the
association between different ponderal index values and neonatal complications
such as hypoglycemia, meconium aspiration syndrome, hyperbilirubinemia, perinatal
resuscitation and duration of hospital stay in first born term infants.
Three-hundred and sixty-one first born infants were studied during April
2000 to April 2001. Low, appropriate and high ponderal indexes were detected in
20.5%, 51 % and 28.5% of infants respectively. Among these infants, there were
47 intrauterine growth retarded cases. The frequency of hypoglycemia, meconium
aspiration syndrome, hyperbilirubinemia and age at hospital discharge with
a stay of more than 7 days were higher in the low ponderal index group than the
other two groups and the statistical differences were significant (p< 0.05). Comparing
neonatal morbidities according to birth weight (more or less than 2500 g),
we could not find significant differences except in hypoglycemia (p< 0.05).
This study showed that a low ponderal index could be used as a prognostic
factor in predicting some morbidity in term neonates.
Type of Study:
Original Research |
Subject:
Pediatric