title: Excess mortality and morbidity among small-for-gestational-age premature infants: a population-based study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined the effect of intrauterine growth restriction on mortality and morbidity in the Israel cohort of very low birth weight premature infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population included 2764 singleton very low birth weight infants without congenital malformations born from 24 to 31 weeks of gestation during 1995 to 1999. Four hundred six (15%) were born small for gestational age (SGA). The effect of SGA on death, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and retinopathy of prematurity was assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjustment for perinatal risk factors, SGA infants had a 4.52-fold risk for death (95% CI, 3.24-6.33), a 3.42-fold risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (95% CI, 2.29-5.13), and a 2.06-fold risk for grade 3 to 4 retinopathy of prematurity (95% CI, 1.15-3.66).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SGA premature infants had an increased risk for death, and major morbidity among survivors was increased.
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Department Meir Hospital, Kfar Saba, Israel. regevdr@netvision.net.il
authors.forename: Rivka H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Regev
authors.forename: Ayala
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lusky
authors.forename: Tzipora
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dolfin
authors.forename: Ita
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Litmanovitz
authors.forename: Shmuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arnon
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Reichman
mesh_terms: D001997:Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D016015:Logistic Models; D012178:Retinopathy of Prematurity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality