Risk of previous very low birth weight and very preterm infants among women delivering a very low birth weight and very preterm infant.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship of the birth of a very low birth weight (VLBW, < 1500 gm) and very preterm (VPT, < or = 32 week) infant to previous occurrences of VLBW-VPT infants among women who had two to five pregnancies.


METHODS
This was a case-control study using data from the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey (NMIHS). A case was defined as a singleton live birth weighing 500 to 1499 gm with a gestational age of < or = 32 weeks. Control infants were defined as singleton births weighing > 2500 gm with gestational ages of > or = 38 weeks.


RESULTS
There were 128 non-black cases and 864 non-black controls, and 241 black cases and 1205 black controls available for analysis. Logistic regression was used to adjust for a history of previous stillbirth, mother's birth weight, pre-pregnancy weight, pregnancy interval, and sociodemographic risk factors. The adjusted odds ratio for the occurrence of a previous VLBW-VPT birth for non-black cases versus controls was 21.24 (6.87, 65.7) and for black cases versus controls, 6.87 (3.82, 12.34).


CONCLUSIONS
These results confirm the substantial risk of previous VLBW-VPT infants among women giving birth to such an infant, independent of sociodemographic factors and other prior pregnancy outcomes.
Malloy
M H
MH
Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77550, USA.
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D016015:Logistic Models; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors