AUTHOR=Mangiza Marcia , Ehret Danielle E. Y. , Edwards Erika M. , Rhoda Natasha , Tooke Lloyd 

TITLE=Morbidity and mortality in small for gestational age very preterm infants in a middle-income country

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2022.915796

DOI=10.3389/fped.2022.915796

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Objective</title><p>To evaluate the impact of small for gestational age (SGA) on outcomes of very preterm infants at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH), Cape Town, South Africa.</p></sec><sec><title>Study design</title><p>Data were obtained from the Vermont Oxford Network (VON) GSH database from 2012 to 2018. The study is a secondary analysis of prospectively collected observational data. Fenton growth charts were used to define SGA as birth weight &lt; 10th centile for gestational age.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Mortality [28.9% vs. 18.5%, adjusted risk ratio (aRR) 2.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6–2.7], bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD; 14% vs. 4.5%, aRR 3.7, 95% CI 2.3–6.1), and late-onset sepsis (LOS; 16.7% vs. 9.6%, aRR 2.3, 95% CI 1.6–3.3) were higher in the SGA than in the non-SGA group.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>Small for gestational age infants have a higher risk of mortality and morbidity among very preterm infants at GSH. This may be useful for counseling and perinatal management.</p></sec>