Adjustment of birth weight standards for maternal and infant characteristics improves the prediction of outcome in the small-for-gestational-age infant.
OBJECTIVE
Birth weight is a function of gestational age. Various maternal and infant characteristics also affect birth weight. This study sought to adjust for these factors to better define abnormal growth.


METHODS
Maternal and infant characteristics from normal pregnancies were correlated with birth weight. A formula was developed and applied to a second group in which we compared perinatal outcomes in normally grown infants with those who were small for gestational age. We compared outcomes between small-for-gestational-age infants defined by the formula with those defined by conventional tables.


RESULTS
Infants defined by the formula as small-for-gestational-age were more likely to have morbidity and mortality than those who were normally grown (p < 0.001). Small-for-gestational-age infants defined by the formula had more deaths and adverse outcomes than those defined by gestational age.


CONCLUSIONS
Adjusting birth weight standards for maternal and infant characteristics may improve the prediction of adverse outcomes.
Sciscione
A C
AC
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Gorman
R
R
Callan
N A
NA
D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D008433:Mathematics; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012727:Sex Characteristics