Morbidity among full-term neonates depending on gestational age

Abstract

Introduction. Supposedly full-term neonates, born at 37-41+6 weeks of gestation are less susceptible to get ill in comparison with neonates born at less than 37 weeks of gestation. However according to data, outcomes of full-term neonates, particularly outcomes of respiratory tract diseases depend on the gestation week. In accordance with reviewed articles, neonates born at 37-38+6 weeks of gestation had a tendency to be ill more often than neonates born at ≥ 39 weeks of gestation. METHODS A retrospective study of morbidity trends in 2,655 full-term neonates born at the Hospital of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinic in 2016 was carried out. The study did not involve neonates transferred from other hospitals. Data was collected from medical records. Subjects were divided into two groups according to gestational age: neonates born at 37-38+6 weeks of gestation and neonates born at ≥ 39 weeks of gestation. RESULTS The most common neonatal diseases were: hyperbilirubinemia (5.54%), birth trauma (2.64%) and hypoglycaemia (2.41%). Neonates born at 37-38+6 weeks of gestation suffered from the diseases significantly more often than neonates born at ≥ 39 weeks of gestation (38.1% and 23.7%, respectively; p < 0.05); moreover, hyperbilirubinemia (12.46% and 3.14%, respectively; p < 0.05), hypoglycaemia (5.43% and 1.37%, respectively; p < 0.05) and respiratory distress syndrome (0.7% and 0.0%, respectively; p < 0.05) were significantly more prevalent amongst them (Tab. 1). Infants born at 37-38+6 weeks of gestation received treatment more frequently in the intensive care unit (2.49% and 0.76%, respectively; p < 0.05) and had longer hospital stays (4 days [1-36 d.], and 3 days [1-29 d.]; p < 0.05).[...].