Obstetrical condition and neonatal neurological outcome in Dominica, the Caribbean - a comparative study

Risk factors during pregnancy and delivery and neurological morbidity of newborns were assessed in a birth cohort in Dominica, the Caribbean. The data were compared with two reference groups, one from Grenada, the Caribbean, and the other from Groningen, the Netherlands. Despite variations in cultural and socio-economic situation, the similarities in obstetrical conditions, neonatal neurological morbidity and perinatal relationships between the three groups were more striking than the differences. The Dominican group showed a significantly higher rate of preterm births than the two other groups. Preterm birth was associated with a significant increase in neurological deviancy. In general motility and muscle tone were found to be lower in the Caribbean region than in the Netherlands (AU)

Obstetrical condition and neonatal neurological outcome in Dominica, the Caribbean: a comparative study - abstract

The risk factors during pregnancy and delivery and neurological morbidity of the newborn were assessed in a birth cohort in Dominica, West Indies. The data were compared with those from 2 reference groups from Grenada, West Indies and Groningen, the Netherlands. Despite variations in cultural and socio-economic factors among the 3 groups, the similarities in obstetrical status, neonatal neurological morbidity and perinatal relationships were more striking than the differences. The Dominican group showed a significantly higher rate of preterm births than the other 2 groups. Preterm birth was associated with a significant increase in neurological deviancy. In general, motility and muscle tone were found to be lower in West Indians than in Netherlands newborns (AU)

Perinatal studies in the Commonwealth of Dominica - abstract

Over a three-month period in 1983, information was collected on aspects of pregnancy, delivery and neonatal health from 180 mothers by reviewing case notes, interviewing the mother and from observation during the neonatal period. The maternal weight gain during pregnancy was 11.5 kg and 28 percent of the mothers were under 17 years of age. The pregnancy was normal in 150 mothers, with abnormal pregnancies being prematurity (6), hypertension (5), twins (5), pre-eclampsia (5), antepartum haemorrhage (3), diabetes (2), anaemia (4), and sickle cell disease (1). Of the 179 deliveries, 152 were normal. Abnormal deliveries were, LSCS (15), stillbirth (5), forceps (3) breach (2), vacuum extraction (1) and meconium aspiration (1). The stillbirth rate was 28 per 1,000 deliveries and the neonatal death rate 5.5 per 1,000 live births, giving an overall perinatal death rate of 33. The birth weight was 3,252 ñ S.D. 435 gm with a length of 48.7 ñ 1.8 cm. There is a need for upgrading perinatal health services in Dominica, not only to reduce perinatal deaths and improve the outcome of each pregnancy, but also to reduce the number of handicapped infants in the population (AU)

Assessment of the nutritional status of pregnant women by weight for height and week of pregnancy - abstract

Assessment of the nutritional status of pregnant women by anthropometry presents obvious difficulties. The weight at a given stage depends on the woman's height, her pre-pregnant weight and the week of pregnancy. A reference table of weight for height by week of pregnancy has been devised, based on the premises that the average increment of weight during pregnancy is 20 percent of the pre-pregnant weight and that almost all the increment takes place linearly during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The table developed on theoretical grounds has been tested with retrospective data from Dominica. The preliminary results show a good correlation between the weight for height at different stages of pregnancy as a percentage of the reference table and the birth weight of the children. This type of reference table is, in our opinion, highly necessary as a simple tool to assess the nutritional status of pregnant women and, within limits, to "predict" the chances of delivering a low birth weight infant (AU)