ABSTRACT
The study comprised 14 pairs of twins. All the children were prematurely born between the 27 and the 33 weeks of pregnancy with birth weight 600-1900 g. Somatic development was assessed on the basis of the body weight, length/height measurements taken in the 6th and 12th months of the corrected age and in the 24th month of the calendar age. Body mass index was also calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters. The obtained results were compared with the regional norms for children from Lodz. Moreover, in each child individual measurements and body mass index were normalized as compared to the arithmetic mean and the standard deviation for the established age norm. The percentage of children with body mass deficiency and decreased body length/height was relatively high. Individual assessment of somatic development, taking into account the normalized values enable observation of the direction of changes within the range of somatic features in individual children. Retardation of somatic development of prematurely born twins should be first of all associated with their very low birth weight. Severe complications of prematurity affect physical development of the children examined by us, especially in the first two years of life.
Subject(s)
Diseases in Twins , Growth Disorders/physiopathology , Infant, Premature, Diseases/physiopathology , Infant, Premature/growth & development , Twins , Birth Weight , Body Height , Body Mass Index , Body Weight , Child , Child, Preschool , Diseases in Twins/epidemiology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Growth Disorders/epidemiology , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Infant, Premature/physiology , Infant, Premature, Diseases/epidemiology , Infant, Premature, Diseases/mortality , Male , Pregnancy , Twins/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
Premature children with the very low birth weight, who need a long hospital treatment after the birth, belong to the group of the highest risk of HBV and HCV infections. The study includes 32 premature children, 14 girls and 18 boys, who were born between 26 and 35 week of pregnancy with the birth weight from 800 to 2400 g. Chronic hepatitis were found in these children; 11 children had HBV infection, 10 children had HCV infection, and both HBV and HBC infections were found in 11 children. Blood transfusions, parenteral nutrition, parenteral antibiotics, surgical treatment and other medical interventions were considered as the most important factors affecting HBV/HBC infections. All these factors should be taken into consideration in efforts to reduce the frequency of HBV and HBC infections in premature children.
Subject(s)
Cross Infection/epidemiology , Hepatitis B, Chronic/epidemiology , Hepatitis C, Chronic/epidemiology , Infant, Premature, Diseases/epidemiology , Adult , Blood Transfusion/statistics & numerical data , Cross Infection/prevention & control , Female , Gestational Age , Hepatitis B, Chronic/prevention & control , Hepatitis C, Chronic/prevention & control , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Infant, Very Low Birth Weight , Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data , Male , Poland/epidemiology , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/prevention & control , Respiration, Artificial/statistics & numerical data , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
1110 neonates, from 30 to 42 of estimated gestational age (EGA) were measured on the 1st day of life to estimate upper mid-arm circumference (MAC) and head circumference (HC). Individual MAC/HC ratio was calculated. MAC/HC ratio was used to estimate gestational age and nutritional status of the newborns. We proved that MAC/HC ratio increased linearly between 30 and 38 week of pregnancy and it stabilized between 38-42 week. We compared MAC/HC ratio with birth weight, skin fold score, and ponderal index. We concluded that this ratio may be very useful to estimate gestational age and to include the neonates to "the group of risk".
