title: Maternal and neonatal characteristics of an immigrant population in an Italian hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the maternal and neonatal immigrant population and to compare it with the Italian population in the Agostino Gemelli Hospital (Rome).
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a prospective population-based study. We compared 595 newborns from immigrant mothers with 2413 newborns from Italian mothers. Neonatal characteristics included in this study were sex, gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score, transfer to pathology units, minor pathologies, and type of breastfeeding at discharge. Maternal characteristics included nationality, age, parity, type of delivery, twin birth, and pathology during the pregnancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immigrant newborns comprised 20% of the total births included in the study. No statistically significant differences were found between immigrant and Italian newborns in gestational age, birth weight, or Apgar score. Immigrant newborns were transferred to the Paediatric Infectious Disease Unit more frequently than Italian newborns, had a significantly higher incidence of hyperbilirubinemia and a higher rate of exclusive and prevalent breastfeeding at discharge. Immigrant mothers came predominantly from Eastern Europe, were younger and had caesarean sections less frequently than Italian mothers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No significant differences in biological and clinical characteristics or in medical practice were found between groups, except for a higher frequency of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and an inclination among immigrant mothers toward breastfeeding.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Largo A. Gemelli 8, Rome, Italy. zuppaaa@rm.unicatt.it
authors.forename: Antonio Alberto
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Zuppa
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Orchi
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Calabrese
authors.forename: Gemma
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Verrillo
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perrone
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pasqualini
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cota
authors.forename: Orazio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ranno
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Valentini
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giannantonio
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cardiello
authors.forename: Costantino
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Romagnoli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001034:Apgar Score; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009099:Multiple Birth Offspring / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010298:Parity / Q000502:physiology; D011153:Population; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011272:Pregnancy, Multiple / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult