Gestational age at birth and morbidity, mortality, and growth in the first 4 years of life: findings from three birth cohorts in Southern Brazil

BMC Pediatrics

Cesar G Victora³  Denise Mota³  Iná Silva dos Santos³  Aluisio J D Barros³  Samuel C Dumith²  Alicia Matijasevich³  José Luis Diaz Rossello¹  Fernando C Barros³ 

[1] Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay;Postgraduate Program in Health Science, Federal University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brazil;Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil

关键词: Neonatal mortality;    Infant mortality;    Post-term births;    Early term births;    Preterm births;    Gestational age;   

Others  :  1170623
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2431-12-169

 received in 2012-05-24, accepted in 2012-10-24,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Background

We assessed anthropometric status, breastfeeding duration, morbidity, and mortality outcomes during the first four years of life according to gestational age, in three population-based birth cohorts in the city of Pelotas, Southern Brazil.

Methods

Total breastfeeding duration, neonatal mortality, infant morbidity and mortality, and anthropometric measures taken at 12 and 48 months were evaluated in children of different gestational ages born in 1982, 1993 and 2004 in Southern Brazil.

Results

Babies born <34 weeks of gestation and those born between 34–36 weeks presented increased morbidity and mortality, were breastfed for shorter periods, and were more likely to be undernourished at 12 months of life, in comparison with the 39–41 weeks group. Children born with 37 weeks were more than twice as likely to die in the first year of life, and were also at increased risk of hospitalization and underweight at 12 months of life. Post-term infants presented an increased risk of neonatal mortality.

Conclusion

The increased risks of morbidity and mortality among preterm (<37 weeks of gestation) and post-term (>41 weeks) are well known. In our population babies born at 37 also present increased risk. As the proportion of preterm and early term babies has increased markedly in recent years, this is a cause for great concern.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Barros et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

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