Polish growth charts for preterm infants — comparison with reference Fenton charts

Abstract

Objectives: Proper infant classification, particularly a preterm infant, as small or large for gestational age, is crucial to undertake activities to improve postnatal outcomes.This study aimed to assess the usability of the Fenton preterm growth charts to evaluate the anthropometric parameters of Polish preterm neonates. Material and methods: In this single-center, retrospective study data extracted from the medical documentation of preterm neonates born 2002-2013 were analyzed. Body weight, body length, and head circumference were evaluated and used to develop growth charts, which were compared with the reference Fenton growth charts.Results: This study included 3,205 preterm neonates, of whom 937 were born before 30 weeks of pregnancy. Overall, 11.04%, 3.3%, and 5.2% of neonates were below the 10 th percentile on the Fenton charts for birth weight, body length, and head circumference, respectively. Only 26 (6.67%) of 390 analyzed anthropological parameters differed significantly between the study and the Fenton groups. Statistically significant differences between the study and the Fenton populations were found only in body length for both sexes, and in head circumference for female neonates. Conclusions:The growth charts developed in this study for a population of Polish preterm neonates corresponded to the Fenton charts in terms of birth weight but differed in terms of body length and head circumference. Our findings suggest the need to evaluate growth charts for Polish preterm newborns.

SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy — single-center retrospective study

“…However, Akhtar et al [30] in their systematic review, found that pregnancy complicated by COVID-19 infection increases the risk of preterm labour and the risk of premature rupture of membranes. Among the group of patients we studied, 24 cases (23.76%) of preterm labour before 37 weeks of gestation occurred, which is more than in the general population in Poland in 2021 [26]. At the same time, 30.82% of patients were discharged home with a sustained pregnancy.…”

“…It is the main cause of death of children in Poland. The birth rate before 37 weeks of gestation remains at the level of 6.7% of live births [26]. Wood et al investigated whether the number of preterm births in the United States increased or decreased during the 2020 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic in 2019 during the same periods -from April to July.…”