Child health
Sol Levine, Abraham M. Lilienfeld in Epidemiology and Health Policy, 1987
Low birth weight infants are those weighing less than 2,500 grams at birth. They fall into two categories: those who are born prematurely, less than thirty-seven weeks in gestation, and those who are full term babies but are small for gestational age. In 1979 almost 7 per cent of all infants born in the United States were classified as low birth weight. The proportion of low birth weight babies born today is only slightly lower than it was thirty years ago. The rate for black populations in this country is substantially greater than for whites and the difference is increasing. International data comparing the United States with nine other industrialized nations indicates that the United States ranks second highest in the proportion of low birth weight infants.
Exercise and pregnancy
Hung N. Winn, Frank A. Chervenak, Roberto Romero in Clinical Maternal-Fetal Medicine Online, 2021
The daily nutritional requirements should include an additional 300 cal/day, which is required to provide for the increased basal metabolic needs of pregnancy. Additional calories will be needed depending on the activities conducted. Furthermore, in the postpartum period, lactating women will require an additional 400 to 600 cal/day to meet the metabolic needs. The Institute of Developmental Biology and Molecular Medicine has published in 2009 guidelines for the rate of weight gain during pregnancy by prepregnancy BMI (37). The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations of a single standard of weight gain for all obesity classes has come under criticism since higher body mass index levels combined with additional weight gain are associated with more severe pregnancy complications, such as pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes (38). The IOM recommendations retained the 1990 focus on the theoretical association between poor gestational weight gain and low birth weight. Important to point out that most causes for low birth weight are the consequences of other conditions than poor nutrition; there is lack of evidence in developed countries that dietary supplementation increases birth weight.
Metabolomics and perinatal cardiology
Moshe Hod, Vincenzo Berghella, Mary E. D'Alton, Gian Carlo Di Renzo, Eduard Gratacós, Vassilios Fanos in New Technologies and Perinatal Medicine, 2019
Among adverse effects that may occur in the perinatal period, there are the pre- and periconceptional environment, preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction, maternal diabetes, and hyperoxia. These may exert their effects via epigenetic changes such as DNA methylation/deacetylation or phosphorylation that may result in modifications of the phenotype. It has been demonstrated that being born prematurely or with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) or with an extremely low birth weight are risk factors for compromised heart function leading to cardiovascular diseases later in life (3,4). Already in 1915, autopsy findings showed that among 140 young soldiers killed during World War I, about 46% displayed atherosclerotic plaques in the coronary arteries (5). Low birth weight is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease: the lower the weight, the higher is the mortality risk in adulthood due to coronary heart disease. It seems to increase the hypertension risk as well. There is what is called “developmentally programmed hypertension” due to the altered vascular structure or function (6).
A study on preterm births during 2013–2015, Shiraz, Iran
Published in Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2018
Elham Jaberi, Mirkazemi Roksana
Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal and infant mortality and substantial portion of neonatal morbidities (Hui et al. 2007). One out of every 10 births is preterm, worldwide (Blencowe et al. 2014), which accounts for approximately 13 million premature births, globally, each year (Tabatabaei-Bafghi et al. 2015). About 75% of the perinatal deaths occur in infants born prematurely, with over two thirds of these arising in the 30–40% of preterm infants who are delivered before 32 weeks of gestation. Ten percent of the neonatal mortality worldwide is caused by prematurity. In the US, 25% of neonatal mortality is due to prematurity (Morrison and Rennie 1997). World health organisation defines preterm by gestational age at birth as, extremely preterm (<28 weeks), very preterm (28 to <32 weeks) and moderate to late preterm (32 to <37 weeks) (WHO, 2015). Weight of the new born is also another important criterion in preterm newborn. Low birth weight is defined as birth weight less than 2500 g, very low birth weight as birth weight less than 1500 g and extremely low birth weight as birth weight less than 1000 g (Gill et al. 2013).
Serum uric acid and blood pressure among adolescents: data from the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT) 2010–2011
Published in Blood Pressure, 2021
Kuan-Hung Lin, Fu-Shun Yen, Harn-Shen Chen, Chii-Min Hwu, Chen-Chang Yang
In 2000, Huxley et al. conducted a systemic review, indicating an inverse association between birth weight and systolic BP. Either preterm birth or poor intrauterine growth leads to low birth weight. Low birth weight was associated with higher serum UA in the US and Korean adolescents [29,30]. In the observational cohort study, adolescents born prematurely had significantly lower birth weight (mean, 1056 vs. 3457 g), greater serum UA and higher systolic BP than those born at term [31]. Among 78 children born at full term, 42 had low birth weight (<2500 g) and 36 had birth weight >3000 g. At the age of 8 to 13 years, those with a history of low birth weight had higher BP and markedly higher UA levels [32]. A 20% reduction of nephron number was identified in children with low birth weight [33]. Feig and co-workers have conducted an impressive experimental study to establish a plausible hypothesis that uric acid plays a causal role in the pathogenesis of hypertension in children with low birth weight and low nephron number [34]. These results suggest that adolescents with preterm birth or intrauterine growth retardation are vulnerable to have low birth weight, reduced nephron number, higher serum UA and subsequent hypertension.
Adaptive Behavioral, Social-Emotional, and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 2 Years of Age in Hungarian Preterm Infants Based on Bayley III
Published in Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 2021
Beáta Erika Nagy, Flóra Kenyhercz
Preterm birth is a well-known risk factor of developmental difficulties in childhood and adolescence. Extremely low birthweight infants (ELBW: <1000 g) are at risk of several medical complications and postnatal morbidities and mortality, whereas the survivors are vulnerable to develop short and long-term developmental delays1 in motor, language and cognitive functioning.2–4 Low birthweight is frequently associated with several adverse developmental outcomes, such as poorer postnatal and childhood development,5 disabilities6 or behavioral, hyperactivity, and emotional problems.7,8 Several studies found higher risks of autism spectrum disorder and pervasive developmental disorder among children born below 2500 g (low birthweight – LBW) and 1500 g (very low birthweight – VLBW).9,10 Regarding later motor development and physical activity, Wolke et al. found a higher risk of developmental coordination disorder and cerebral palsy. Moreover, population-based studies describe dose–response relationship between gestation at birth and cognitive outcomes.11
Related Knowledge Centers
- Birth Weight
- Coeliac Disease
- Large For Gestational Age
- Hypertension
- Preterm Birth
- Gestational Age
- Infant
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- Small For Gestational Age
- Prenatal Development