Problems of low birth weight Flashcards
What does ‘at term’ mean?
40 weeks
38-42
What is considered low birthweight?
<2500g
What is considered very low BW?
<1500g
What is considered extremely low birthweight?
<1000g
What is prematurity?
Birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation
What is small for gestation age?
- birth weight below 10th/3rd centile for gestation
What is fetal growth restriction?
Failure to achieve normal rate of fetal growth
Different from small for gestation as adverse effects causing this
May be full-term so grown to normal gestation but may be growth restricted making you small
Why may a baby be LBW?
- premature (early)
- small for gestation age (size)
- premature + SGA (too soon and too small)
- IUGR - something adversely affecting normal rate of growth
Why is LBW relevant?
Indicator of survival
What is the relevance of small gestation age?
- complications for fetal growth restriction
- very long term health problems
What is the relevance of premature birth?
- neurodevelopmental sequelae
What is the cause of SGA?
Genetic or acquired
What are the genetic causes of SGA?
- chromosomal disorders (Edwards, trisomy 18)
- inherited disorders
- normal small baby as parents are small
What are the acquired causes of SGA?
- utero-placental insufficiency
- congenital infection
- maternal smoking
- maternal chronic illness
- multiple pregnancy
What is utero-placental insufficiency?
- antenatally detected (poor growth)
- synctiotrophoblast invasion failure as highly resistant spiral arteries
- poor placental development with raised resistance in vascular bed
- Doppler ultrasound of uterine arteries/fetal circulation picks up (early diastolic notching)
- high resistance of uterine artery blood flow and reversal of flow
How does a hypoxic fetus present?
- prioritises blood flow to brain and cardiac muscle
- expense of gut, kidneys, aorta, adrenals, liver, skin
- Doppler ultrasound detects reduced uterine artery diastolic flow, reversed flow
What vessels are in the umbilical cord?
- 2 arteries
- 1 vein
What does CMV cause?
- hydrocephalus and calcification of the brain
- growth restriction
What maternal chronic illnesses can cause SGA?
- diabetes
- hypertension
- CHD
- stroke
- chronic bronchitis
(affect fetus cellular growth, gene expression, hormonal axis)
What neonatal problems can cause SGA?
- temperature control
- polycythaemia
- Hypoglycaemia
How can temperature control be impaired?
- increased SA;V ratio
- reduced adipose tissue insulation as inadequate nutrition
- reduced capacity for thermogenesis