COMPARISON OF LIVEBORN AND STILLBORN LOW-BIRTH-WEIGHT BABIES AND ANALYSIS OF ETIOLOGIC FACTORS

A retrospective study was performed at a tertiary maternity hospital, to define the incidence of low birthweight (LBW) and its associated ri sk factors in term liveborn infants and in term stillbirths, to ascert ain the antenatal detection rate in each and to assess the role of ult rasound in antenatal detection. One hundred and ninety four term liveb orn LBW infants and twenty stillborn LBW infants were studied. Fifty-s ix percent of the liveborn infants were detected antenatally compared to 5% of the stillborn LBW infants. Previous LBW, the extremes of mate rnal age, cigarette smoking and pre-eclampsia were the main risk facto rs for the development of LBW, not all of which were present to the sa me extent in each group. Ultrasound scanning antenatally increases the detection rate. Knowledge of abnormal growth antenatally significantl y increases obstetric intervention. Detection of LBW antenatally remai ns difficult. The main risk factors for LBW were similar in both group s.