Frequency of Early Morbidities in Low Birth Weight Neonates at The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi

Abstract

BackgroundGlobally, approximately 14.6% children are born with low birth weight (LBW) annually. In Pakistan, this figure however reaches approximately 16%. Low birth weight infants are vulnerable to develop early morbidities like hypothermia, hypoglycemia, respiratory distress syndrome and hypocalcemia. There is a scarcity of statistics which creates a gap in development of strategies for improving quality of care in developing countries. The aim of our study was to determine the frequency of early morbidities such as respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), hypoglycemia, hypothermia and hypocalcemia in low birth weight neonates.MethodologyA prospective descriptive study was conducted via non-probability sampling technique from 1st April 2016 to 30th September 2016 at The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. All low birth weight infants, i.e., those with birth weight < 2500 grams were included in this study and observed for early morbidities, including hypothermia, hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia and respiratory distress syndrome. Descriptive analysis was done using SPSS version 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY), mean and standard deviation were determined for quantitative variables, whereas frequency and percentages were calculated for qualitative variables.ResultsA total of 2082 neonates were born during the study period, of which 271 (13%) were born with low birth weight. One hundred and eighty-five (68.1%) of these LBW neonates were preterm babies while 86 (31.9%) were born at term. Among LBW neonates 137 (51.0%) were males and 134 (49.0%) females. In the study population, hypoglycemia was seen in 17.3%, hypocalcemia in 13.6%, respiratory distress syndrome in 11%, and hypothermia in 2.5%.ConclusionOur study highlighted major early morbidities of LBW neonates, and their association with birth weight, gestational age and gender. Significant association of birth weight was found with hypothermia and hypocalcemia, whereas hypocalcemia and RDS were significantly associated with gestational age. However, none of the early morbidities had significant association with gender. Keeping in perspective the early morbidities in this population we propose that priority be given to providing adequate attention to low birth weight neonates.

Neonatal complications and risk factors associated with assisted vaginal delivery

“…The predominant neonatal morbidities we observed were hypoglycaemia, hypocalcaemia and hyperthermia, which were significantly related to neonatal low birth weight. These findings are consistent with a study by Chand et al 26 .…”

Incidence and predictors of respiratory distress syndrome among low birth weight neonates in the first seven days in Northwest Ethiopia Comprehensive Specialized Hospitals, 2023: A retrospective follow-up study

“…This finding was aligned with studies conducted in Thailand (44.15%),37 and Ethiopia 49.8 3%,38 The possible justification is due to similarities in study design, sample size and the presence of similar maternal health problems. On the other hand, this study was higher than two different studies conducted in Pakistan 11%–12.8%,15 16 India 38%,39 Nepal 21.4%40 and Nigeria 10.9% 19. The possible reason for this discrepancy is due to exclusion criteria.…”

“…The magnitude of RDS among LBW neonates varies across countries depending on the availability of medical services and the number of trained medical personnel. For instance, in Taiwan 60%–86%,11 12 Finland 76%,13 Thailand 70.7%,14 Karachi, Pakistan 11%–12.8%,15 16 Iran 76%,17 Afghanistan 58.8%18 and in Nigeria 10.9%19 of LBW neonates had RDS. In Ethiopia, RDS is the primary cause of admission with a mortality rate of 45.3% among LBW neonates 20.…”

Prospective observational study to assess the Somatic Growth in Very Low Birth Weight infants

“…Another study by Chand et al [13] studied the early morbidities of LBW neonates, and found a significant association of birth weight with hypothermia and hypocalcemia, whereas gestational age was associated with hypocalcemia and respiratory distress syndrome. They also concluded that the priority should be given to adequate attention to LBW neonates.…”