Morbidity Pattern of Small for Gestational Age Babies Admitted in a Neonatal Care Unit

Abstract

Background: The neonatal period of the small for gestational age (SGA) neonates is the most vulnerable phase; the neonatal morbid conditions along with the mortality being the major health issues in the developing countries like Nepal. The objective of this study was to assess the morbidity pattern of the SGA neonates admitted in the neonatal intensive care unit. Methods: A hospital base cross-sectional study was carried out in 100 SGA neonates admitted in the neonatal care unit of College of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Bharatpur, Nepal from May 2020 to April 2021 Small for gestational age neonates (SGA) was defined as birth weight <10th percentile for gestational age by Lubchenco’s growth chart. Infant characteristics and neonatal outcomes were assessed during the hospital stay and the data was entered in the SPSS v23.0. Results: Among the total 100 cases of SGA neonates, 66 % were male. The mean birth weight was 1900 ±SD 381gm (range 1000-2500 gm). Term SGA neonates accounted for 60% while preterm SGA neonates were 40%. Common morbidities seen in SGA neonates were sepsis (44%), hyperbilirubinemia (34%), perinatal depression/birth asphyxia (34%) and shock (22%). While comparing the morbidities between term and preterm neonates, a significant correlation was observed between hypothermia (p-value = 0.001), polycythemia (p-value = 0.001), NEC (p-value= 0.004) and perinatal depression/asphyxia (0.013) with the period of gestation. Mortality was observed in 8% due to various perinatal problems. Conclusions: From this study, we can conclude that SGA is associated with various morbidities, sepsis being the most common morbidity amongst perinatal asphyxia, hyperbilirubinemia, hypothermia and hypoglycemia.