ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR), as well as it's types and severity on the development of respiratory distress among low-birth-weight infants. A total of 673 neonates were studied, the small-for-dates infants (SFD), 40% of total, were divided according to the type of IUGR, in proportionate and disproportionate, and according to the severity, in birth weight below 3rd and between 3rd and 10th percentile. Respiratory distress was more frequent among the appropriate for gestational age (57.3%) compared to the SFD infants (33.7%), (p < 0.0001), and among males (52.6%) compared to females (47.4%) (p = 0.01). There was an inverse relationship between gestational age, as well as birth weight and respiratory distress. It occurred in 90.6% of very-low-birth-weight infants and in 39% of the others, with a predominance among the appropriate for gestational age newborns. Respiratory distress occurred in 80% of neonates below 34 weeks of gestational age and in 26% of the neonates above it (p < 0.0001). Regarding to the small-for-dates infants, respiratory distress occurred more frequently among the disproportionate (42.5%), when compared to proportionate infants (28.1%) (p = 0.03). The severity of IUGR had no influence on these results. The authors concluded that among low birth weight infants, the groups with increased risk for respiratory distress are the appropriate for gestational age and, among small-for-dates and disproportionate infants, those weighing less than 1500 g.
